Cufflinks
by Likhoradka
Summary: AU - Dean is a Hunter in search of an angel to bind to himself. Sam thought he lucked out with an Archangel, but Dean manages to catch an angel with a few tricks up his sleeve. Destiel and Sabriel.
1. Chapter 1

AN: Well, I started another horrible fic. This spawned from a crappy little drawing and idea of 'If I made an anime Supernatural, this is what'd happen.' This was meant to be more on the cracky side, but that didn't really happen. As always, links to drawings are somewhere in my profile.

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Cufflinks  
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Humans have always struggled for survival against the nightmares lurking in the dark. For centuries, their numbers were slowly falling. In one last stand, a powerful witch changed the people of her village, giving them the power to fend off the monsters.

It had worked. Humanity was saved. The people of the village traveled to other villages, helping their fellow humans fight. They settled down soon after and formed families.

It was when the children of these villagers were born that the beings known as angels and demons came into the world. Each special villager's first born was a set of twins. One angel and one demon. Any other children they had after were normal humans.

Angels looked human except for the wings protruding from their back. Their wings were beautiful, ranging in color from white to soft hues. They were given names, ranking them based on the number of wings they had. Archangels had six wings, High Angels had four, and Low Angels had only two.

Demons, on the other hand, had no wings. They were able to sift through the air as a thick, black cloud of smoke, and their eyes were fully colored. White, black, red, or gold.

At first, everything was fine. But, the young demons began displaying some distressing habits. It started small; items would go missing, only to turn up later in the demon's room. Worry truly set in when animals went missing, their mangled corpses littering the outside edges of the villages. And then, neighbors turned on one another. When one such fight ended in death, black smoke was seen escaping from the deceased's mouth.

Word quickly spread from village to village, and the demons were run out, forced into the wilderness to fend for themselves.

Out of fear, the humans sought a way to control the angels. They created a spell and inscribed it to a metal cuff. The spell would bind an angel to the human that placed the cuff on the angel's right wrist.

Anything the human commanded, the angel would feel compelled to comply. It did not take long for the angels to catch on to what was happening and flee. Some chose to stay, volunteering to be bound to a member of their family, wanting to protect them.

When it was seen how an angel could fight a monster, every family wanted one. Some humans went off in search of an angel to claim as their own. Few succeeded. Those who did, began offering their services for a small fee. A hunter who once made his living hunting big game, now made his way in hunting monsters.

This was how the Hunter came into being. Brave, young men and women would travel the country, hunting monsters and ghosts. All the while, looking to catch an angel in between hunts.

If a Hunter was in town on a job, he or she would normally be offered free room and board. It became a tradition. Payment for a job well done, or a Hunter's last meal.

It was true that a Hunter with a bound angel stood a much better chance, but that did not stop young hopefuls looking for excitement and adventure.

Sam and Dean Winchester were brought into the Hunter lifestyle at a young age. Their mother had come from a long and prestigious line of Hunters. But this fame painted a target on the Campbell family. Family members were being picked off one by one until only Mary remained. She ran, changed her name, and released the angel her father had caught. She ended up in Lawrence, Kansas. There, she met John Winchester. Just a normal man with no interest in the supernatural. Together, they had two children and life was good. Until the demons managed to track her down.

With Mary's death, John took up the title of Hunter. He needed to find the demon that killed Mary and avenge her death. His two sons were living the life that every young boy wanted. Traveling, seeing the world, and hunting monsters. John quickly earned a name for himself. He was an excellent Hunter. And he did it all without the aid of an angel. At least, that was what the outside world saw. What Sam and Dean saw was another story. Their father was desperate to find an angel. An angel would be able to help him track down the demon that killed his wife.

As the boys grew older, Sam yearned for a normal life. He wanted a regular job. Get married and have kids. So when he was accepted into college, he left. Little did he know, the demons were waiting for something like this to happen. A pair of demons showed up in his dorm room one night. His girlfriend, Jess, was caught in the crossfire.

Sam left the college life and his dream behind. He joined back up with his father and brother. Just as things were getting back to normal, the demons struck again.

A vicious car wreck left Dean in a coma for a week, while Sam and John faced less threatening injuries. Hospitals were protected from all manner of monsters, but not well-bribed men. John died from a bullet to the head before Sam tackled the intruder.

A couple years passed and Sam and Dean slowly found themselves being pulled into another family. Bobby Singer was a good Hunter. Knew what he was doing. And he had a High Angel. Karen was the sweetest woman Sam and Dean had ever met. Her wings were the purest of white. And she made the best pies. Every time Sam and Dean felt that they were about to outstay their welcome, she would come out of the kitchen, a steaming pie in each hand. It wasn't until much later that they realized she was trying to keep them there. Letting them know they were a part of the family and would never be unwelcome.

One night, a call came in, reporting a strange series of deaths happening in a small college town. When Bobby described to the boys just how people were dying, Karen piped up, declaring that it sounded like the work of a Trickster.

And with that, Sam and Dean were off. Once they reached the town and began asking questions, rumors of an angel being in the area surfaced. Dean was ecstatic. This was going to be his chance.

Thanks to John's obsession with catching an angel, Sam and Dean carried a binding cuff with them at all times. Neither really thought they would ever need it, but it was part of their morning ritual. Hair, teeth, clothes, wallet, cuff.

Sam felt happy for his brother. It had been a while since he'd seen Dean so excited. The last time being when they first met Karen and found out she made amazing pies.

As Dean went off to follow up on a lead, Sam stopped at a drugstore and picked up a pack of gummy worms. He found a quiet spot at a nearby park and waited for Dean to call him. He wasn't aware of the presence that had followed him.

Sam opened the bag of gummies and popped one in this mouth.

'Hey, there!' said a voice to his right.

Sam jumped and turned his head, his nose brushing against the nose of the speaker. 'Uh...hello,' he replied uncertainly. He could feel his cheeks burning. His vision was filled with the face of a young man with golden hair and eyes.

The young man grinned. 'Gimme some sugar, baby,' he said gruffly.

Sam stared at the young man before leaning back. Then he saw them. Three pairs of bright, gold wings. He opened his mouth to speak, but no sound came out.

'Oh, that's fine. I can help myself,' said the angel as he reached for the bag in Sam's hand.

Sam watched as the angel's right hand rummaged through the bag. He snapped out of his trance, quickly reached into his pocket, and slapped the binding cuff on the angel's wrist.

Neither human nor angel were expecting the warm sensation that flooded through them.

The angel lifted his hand to his face and examined his wrist. 'Is this what I think it is?' he questioned softly.

Sam swallowed and nodded. 'Y-yeah. Sorry,' he apologized. 'It's just...well...y'know...'

The angel sighed before sticking his hand out in greeting with a big smile plastered across his face. 'Name's Gabriel.'

'S-Sam. Sam Winchester,' Sam replied, shaking Gabriel's hand.

Gabriel cocked his head slightly. 'Winchester… Sounds familiar. Well, Sam, how about them worms?'

Sam wordlessly handed the bag of gummy worms to Gabriel. Dean was going to kill him.

.-.-.-.-.

Sam paced back and forth across the motel room. Gabriel lay spread across the bed, watching.

'You're gonna make me sprain an ankle, Sammy!' he whined, flitting his wings.

Sam gave him a brief glance. He caught an angel. He caught an _Archangel_! He caught what Dean was hoping to catch.

The door opened and Dean entered the room with a heavy sigh.

'Dean! I'm sorry!' The words were out before Sam could stop them.

Dean looked at Sam in surprise. 'Uh...okay. What for?'

Sam looked to the bed, and Dean followed his gaze. Gabriel sat up and waved happily.

'Is that...?'

'Yeah...'

'You...?'

'Guess so.'

Dean looked from Gabriel to Sam. 'Um... Congratulations!' He said as he clapped Sam on the back. He forced a smile, a practiced gesture on his part. He was proud of his little brother. How could he not be proud? But...

Sam gave an unsure smile. 'So...you're not mad?'

'Why would I be mad?' He wasn't mad, per se, just... Well, maybe annoyed. Irritated. If he was mad, he was mad at himself. Wrong place, wrong time. His lead on the Trickster had led him nowhere, and here was Sam, lounging about their motel room with an Archangel.

'Well, you were hoping to catch him,' Sam replied, gesturing to Gabriel. He knew his brother through and through, and he knew that despite taking it well on the surface, Dean's inner monologue must be throwing a hissy fit.

Dean frowned. 'Hey, I admit I'm jealous as hell,' and he was, 'but I'm not mad at you, Sammy. I'm proud of my baby brother!' He ruffled Sam's hair and grinned at the undignified expression Sam gave him.

Sam sighed in relief.

'Besides,' Dean continued, looking to Gabriel, 'he can help us find this Trickster.'

Gabriel let out a self-conscious cough. 'Ah...'

'Do you know where the Trickster is?' Sam asked. 'Where is it?'

Gabriel gave a nervous grin. 'Who pretends to be a Trickster and has two thumbs?' He brought up his hand and pointed his thumbs at himself. 'This guy!'

'I cannot believe you just did that,' Dean said, completely unamused. 'No one does that.'

'Wait. _You're_ the Trickster?!' Sam exclaimed.

Gabriel nodded proudly.

'Great. We've got a homicidal angel on our hands,' Dean said as he crossed his arms. He looked up at Sam. 'So, what do we do about him?'

'Let me go,' Gabriel suggested, but went ignored.

'Well, not everyone died...,' Sam replied. He didn't want to defend Gabriel, not exactly, but he didn't think Gabriel deserved to die. Gabriel hadn't killed any innocents. 'I mean, the ones that did die, they weren't exactly the nicest guys.'

Dean frowned at Sam. 'But he's still killing humans, Sam.'

'Yeah, and so do humans. Are we gonna start hunting murderers now, too?'

'What? Wait, are you _defending _him?'

Sam shifted uncomfortably. 'Well, he must have had his reasons...,' Sam trailed off, looking to Gabriel for answers.

Gabriel quickly looked away.

'Gabriel? Why did you kill those people?' Sam asked.

Gabriel bit his tongue as he felt a clenching around his chest. 'I...I did it to protect someone. One supernatural death, and humans look at it more closely, but if there's more, you don't. You just kill off the creature,' he bit out.

'Who were you protecting?'

Gabriel pulled his wings in tight and stared at his hands in his lap with wide eyes. 'S-someone,' he managed to grind out through the building pain. He concentrated on the drops of blood splattering on his hands.

Dean looked away from the scene before him. He'd heard of it, but he'd never actually seen an angel fight against orders or questions.

Sam took pity on the angel. 'It's all right. You don't have to answer right now.'

Gabriel sagged in relief and wiped his nose with his sleeve.

'So, now what?' Sam asked.

Gabriel looked up at Sam. 'Take credit for killing the Trickster and leave town?'

'You'll have to come with us, you know,' Dean said quietly. They couldn't just leave the angel there. Who knew what sort of the trouble he would get up to if released. He might lash out, and Dean couldn't let that happen. And if Dean was right, he would have done the same as Gabriel to protect Sam. The angel had to be protecting family.

Gabriel nodded. He hoped his brother would be able to take care of himself.

.-.-.-.-.

Gabriel slowly followed the brothers from the Impala to the house he was going to be subjected to living in. Sam had ordered him to stay close, and he would stop every few steps, trying to test how far he could be from Sam before the clenching turned to pain. They reached the house before he could get any real answer. It didn't help that Sam kept urging him on every time he stopped. Sam and Dean waited patiently for him before opening the door and entering.

Karen poked her head out of the living room. 'Welcome home, boys! Bobby will be back soon,' she said warmly. Her eyes fell on Gabriel, and she stared.

Gabriel sullenly stared back.

Karen came fully into the entryway and went straight up to Gabriel. Before he could react, she engulfed him in a tight hug. 'Oh, you poor thing!' She stopped hugging and held him at arm's length, getting a good look at him. 'Just look at you! Skin and bones. Let's get you fed,' she said as she ushered him into the kitchen and forced him to sit at the kitchen table.

She set a whole pie and a fork in front of him and stared expectantly.

Gabriel cautiously picked up the fork. He looked from the smiling angel to the pie. He _was_ hungry. And the pie _did_ smell delicious. He dug into the pie and was already half done when Sam and Dean entered the kitchen.

'Hey! Why's _he_ get pie? Where's _my_ pie?' whined Dean.

'Next to the sink, dear,' Karen sweetly replied, not taking her eyes off of Gabriel. Karen eventually shifted her gaze to Sam. 'You take good care of him,' she said in a warning tone.

Sam nodded. Karen's tone had surprised him. He had never heard her speak without her voice dripping in sugary sweetness.

Gabriel huffed, his wings puffing out. 'I can take of myself, you know! It's been me an' C—I was doing just fine on my own.'

Dean's head shot up and around a mouthful of pie asked 'You and _who_?'

Gabriel raised his chin defiantly at Dean and kept silent.

Sam was about to ask who Gabriel was going to mention when he felt a small hand on his shoulder. He looked down at Karen's pleading face. She shook her head, and Sam sighed.

When Bobby returned home, he automatically assumed it was Dean who had caught the angel. He tried not to laugh at Sam's dumb luck and the irritated face Dean was making when the situation was explained to him.

As the week wore on, Dean was getting more and more irritated with Gabriel. The Archangel would show up in the oddest places. Dean opened the fridge once in search of beer, but instead found Gabriel, drowning in one of Sam's coats. On several occasions, he was found sleeping in the bathtub on a pile of Sam's clothing.

Then Sam noticed small things going missing, turning up in strange places. He found his wallet in the back of the freezer multiple times. His clothes were being found in the glove compartments of the junkers littering Bobby's property. He had no idea where his soap ended up.

When Dean asked Karen if Gabriel's behavior was 'some sort of angel-thing,' Karen banned him from the kitchen. So he tried asking Bobby if Karen had been like Gabriel. Bobby considered the question before answering.

'Son, when you catch yerself an angel, you'll find out,' Bobby said with a small smirk.

'But what if I never catch one?' Dean asked. 'Not that it matters. I don't know if I even want one anymore.'

Bobby sighed. He felt for the kid. Three Hunters under the same roof, and only one without an angel. 'How do you mean?'

Dean collapsed into a nearby chair and slumped down. 'Sammy caught an Archangel. An _Archangel_, Bobby. Ain't too many of them running around. He doesn't even _care_. And Gabriel's...well, _Gabriel_. I know Sam's going through hell right now dealing with that guy.'

'Look, Sam will be fine, and you'll catch yerself an angel.'

Dean rolled his eyes and slouched even further in the chair.

'How about a job? Got a nice, easy ghost hunt for you boys to take Gabriel on,' Bobby offered.

Dean nodded listlessly. 'Sure.' He didn't want to admit it, but the whole situation was making him depressed. Bobby had Karen, a High Angel, and now Sam had an Archangel. It would be fitting for him to end up with a crummy Low Angel. Maybe it would be better if he never caught one.


	2. Chapter 2

AN: Thank you for reading!

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Cufflinks  
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The old house was enormous. What was once a beautiful, small mansion was now an abandoned hotel. Windows were boarded up, paint was peeling, and the ceiling was slowly crumbling away. Dean pulled out his makeshift EMF detector, watching the lights pulse across the top.

Gabriel raised a brow and grinned at Dean. 'Is that...?'

Dean blushed lightly and shoved the ex-Walkman back in his pocket. 'I worked with what I had!' he said defensively.

Gabriel held his hands up in surrender. 'No, it's good! Really. I'm impressed!'

Dean looked at Gabriel doubtfully. 'Right.'

'And it's working,' Gabriel said. 'There's definitely a ghost in there.'

'Can you tell where it is?' Sam asked.

Gabriel shook his head. 'It's here...somewhere.' He bit his lip as he looked around. 'It's just...I've never done this before, y'know?'

Sam laid a hand on Gabriel's shoulder and gave a reassuring squeeze. 'That's all right,' he said. 'We've been doing this without an angel for years.'

Dean had made his way up to the double doors and had just managed to pick the lock when Sam and Gabriel joined him inside. 'So, Bobby said you should be able to tell us where this ghost's bones are,' he said to Gabriel. And that was all Bobby had said. He had given Dean an address and that was about it. No information on the ghost. Nothing helpful.

Gabriel frowned. He had only ever used his powers to play tricks and keep hidden. Finding supernatural entities wasn't one of his primary talents. Whenever he _did_ sense another being, he quickly left the area. Running away and avoiding confrontation was more his speed. 'I just feel...something. I don't know where it is,' he admitted. 'Can't we just leave? Get some icecream? Come back when it's _daylight_?'

Dean clapped Gabriel on the back as he walked past and headed towards a hallway. 'We'll get icecream after, short stack.'

'Here,' Sam said, handing Gabriel a sucker.

Gabriel eyed the candy before snatching it away. 'A Scooby Snack. Thanks,' he said. He was aiming for sarcasm, but his voice had other plans. Plans Gabriel was perfectly fine going along with.

Sam blushed at the tone in Gabriel's voice.

A loud bang echoed throughout the hotel, and bits of the ceiling floated down. Sam and Gabriel stared at the door Dean had just walked through. Sam ran up and tried opening it as Gabriel stared with wide eyes.

'Dean! Dean, can you hear me?' Sam yelled as he banged on the door.

Two quick knocks came in response. 'I'm fine,' Dean's muffled voice replied. 'I'm gonna keep heading this way. See if you can't find another way.'

Sam nodded and gave the door one last tug. 'Right, we'll find you!'

Gabriel shied away when Sam faced him. 'It just popped up! And then it was...gone. This wasn't a good idea.'

'Don't worry,' Sam said as he walked past Gabriel. 'Just keep close, and you'll be fine.' Sam almost tripped when Gabriel latched onto his arm. 'Er...not _that_...' He trailed off when he looked down to see Gabriel's shining smile. He let out a sigh and led the way.

.-.-.-.-.

Dean cautiously opened another door. Leading with his shotgun, he made his way around the room, rummaging through drawers as he went. If Sam's angel was going to prove useless, then they had better find some information on their ghost. As he exited the room, he was pushed from behind and flattened against the wall.

He pushed off the wall and spun around, bringing his gun up to empty air. He pulled out his EMF detector. Nothing. Then, suddenly, all lights were lit, and it emitted a sharp tone just as Dean was thrown down the hallway and slammed against the wall. He stumbled as the force released him. His eyes darted back and forth, the detector giving off no readings. So much for an 'easy job.'

Not wanting to take his chances, he made his way as quickly as he could down the new hall. The sooner he met up with Sam and Gabriel, the better. If Gabriel could sense the ghost before the EMF detector could, then at least that would be some sort of edge.

.-.-.-.-.

'So _I_ said "Not in this lifetime, Smurfette," and you know what he did?'

Sam tried another door, only to find a linen closet. He sighed and headed to the next door.

'Hey! Hey, Sam! Sammy?' Gabriel jogged to keep up. 'Are you listening?'

'Not really,' Sam admitted.

Gabriel pouted. It was a great story, and Sam didn't care. Maybe Sam was more of the fiction type. 'Okay. New story!'

Sam tried not to let his irritation show. He had found that the best way to get Gabriel to stop anything was to not show a reaction. He wondered if Gabriel had been ignored as a child. The angel thrived on attention of any sort. Attention that Sam just couldn't give until he found his brother.

'So, one day you were taking this really long shower,' Gabriel said, keeping pace just behind Sam. 'I was getting worried, so I went to see what was up. And, _boy_, was something up! I found you stroking yourself off, and you know what you cried out when you came? Gabriel!' He moaned his name and swooned against the wall. 'It was hot.'

Sam slowly turned to Gabriel, blushing a bright crimson. 'W-what?'

Gabriel opened his eyes and looked up at Sam. His smile fell a little at the angry look he was receiving. 'Would it make you feel better if you made one up about_ me_? You can kill me off in the end,' he offered.

Sam regarded Gabriel for a moment. 'You slipped in the bathroom and drowned in the toilet. The end,' he said as he continued on his way.

'Was that before or after you fucked me against the wall?'

Sam almost missed his step and hoped Gabriel hadn't noticed. And he was _not_ still blushing.

Gabriel grinned widely at Sam's back. 'I certainly hope it was before,' he said as he caught up. 'Banging a corpse wouldn't be fun. Unless you're into that. Are you into that?'

'No,' Sam growled.

'Good,' Gabriel said as he passed Sam. He turned and flashed what he hoped was a sexy smile. 'Because I'd rather be alive for the experience.'

Before Sam could even process what Gabriel had said, he saw the angel's wings tuck in and eyes widen.

'Down.'

They ducked just as a blast of energy shot over their heads, blowing up dust and debris.

Sam looked up and down the hallway. 'Where is it?'

'I-it's gone,' Gabriel replied as he stood up, still a bit shaken. He quickly sidled up to Sam. 'Are they supposed to do that? Just pop up and vanish?'

'Ghosts usually stick around longer,' Sam said distractedly. 'Dean and I, we have to fight them off with salt rounds and iron, normally. And even that won't keep them away for long.'

'Is it me? I could leave,' Gabriel offered.

Sam shook his head, keeping an eye out for anything unusual. 'Are you able to feel humans at all?'

'I can feel you,' Gabriel said with a hinting tone. He quickly back pedaled at Sam's unamused glare. 'Er, sort of. I mean, you, yeah. But that's this thing working,' he said as he showed his binding cuff. 'Other humans...they're more...blurry. If you're asking me to find Dean-o, then... I'm guessing he's the only other human here, so...that way?' Gabriel pointed at the wall.

Sam sighed as he looked at the wall. 'Then we'll just have to do the best we can.'

'Would it help if I beeped as we got closer?'

.-.-.-.-.

Dean rounded the corner and found a narrow stairwell. He growled in frustration as he pressed his back against the wall and slowly ascended the stairs. He quickly cleared the stairwell once he reached the top and let out a relieved sigh. So far, so good. He hoped his good fortune wasn't at the cost of Sam and Gabriel. About halfway down the hall, he heard the high-pitched tone, but was still not prepared when he was thrown against the wall then to the floor.

The floor beneath him creaked ominously. He tried not to breathe as he slowly got to his hands and knees. When nothing happened, he started to crawl forward. It was then that the floor gave way.

Sam jumped back and aimed his gun at the cloud of dust.

'Beep!'

Sam's eyes flickered over to Gabriel before focusing back on the dust cloud. He heard coughing and a familiar voice cursing. 'Dean!'

'Sam?' Dean limped forward, coughing and brushing off dust and bits of plaster. 'You all right?'

Sam lowered his gun and went up to inspect Dean. 'We're fine. What about you? What happened?'

'I fell through the floor,' Dean deadpanned.

'Or the ceiling. Depending on perspective,' Gabriel added. He gave an innocent smile in response to Dean's glare. 'Duck!'

Sam pulled Dean to the floor just as the ghost flew overhead. 'Have you figured it out yet?' Sam asked.

Gabriel cautiously stood up and looked around. 'Um...we need to go down,' he replied.

'What? Figured what out?' Dean asked as Sam helped him up.

'With each pass, Gabriel's been getting little..."pings" from the ghost,' Sam explained.

'I think it's where she's buried,' Gabriel said as he looked up and down the hall. He shook his head. 'She's somewhere underneath us. That's about all I can really say.'

'Better than nothing,' Dean said as he retrieved his shotgun.

They followed the hall and eventually found a door leading them to the cellar.

Gabriel looked down the stairwell, noticing multiple missing steps. 'I'm not going down there.'

'Yes, you are,' Dean said, gripping Gabriel's shoulder.

Gabriel looked to Sam. All he got was a shrug and a sympathetic look. He sighed in resignation. With a snap of his fingers, the rickety stairs were instantly replaced with polished, marble steps. 'There. That's better.'

Dean and Sam stared in awe.

'Y-You... How...?' Sam stuttered.

'You can fix the stairs, but you can't find a ghost?' Dean said, giving Gabriel a skeptical look.

Gabriel gave a shy smile. 'Er... I specialize?'

'"Specialize"...,' Dean repeated.

'Yeah... Illusions, tricks. You need a sewer gator? I'm your guy.'

Sam frowned at the reminder of one of the deaths Gabriel was responsible for. 'How long were you going to keep this from us?' he asked.

Gabriel shifted uncomfortably. 'I wasn't planning on telling you,' he replied with some difficulty. He looked up to find two disapproving stares. He quickly looked away.

'Well, what's done is done,' Sam said. 'Let's just finish this job, and we can talk about it later.'

Gabriel nodded solemnly as he followed the brothers down the new set of stairs. Once in the cellar, he looked around. He tried to feel where the ghost was originating from, but was having no luck. He shook his head in defeat. 'We'll have to wait for another pass.'

'Great,' Dean muttered as he kicked at a loose board.

Over half an hour had passed. Gabriel was wandering aimlessly around the cellar, randomly adding gaudy curtains and questionable decorations to the walls. Sam made the mistake of asking why Gabriel added a particular set of beads to the wall, and Dean was all too enthusiastic to explain their purpose in graphic detail. Sam didn't know which embarrassed him more: the description, or the fact that his brother seemed to be speaking from personal experience.

Gabriel suddenly stopped his interior decorating, and ran to a corner of the room. 'Here! She's right here!' he exclaimed, pointing at the dirt floor.

Sam and Dean rushed to Gabriel, but were thrown in the opposite direction. When they stood up, they saw a female spirit standing between them and Gabriel. Sam brought his gun up and shot her square in the chest. With a scream, she vanished, only to reappear behind them. This time, Dean shot her.

Gabriel backed into the wall as the ghost materialized and advanced on him. He brought his hand up and hoped he knew what he was doing. He closed his eyes and snapped.

Sam ran up and carefully walked around the frozen ghost. 'Wow! That's...amazing!' he said, looking from the ghost to Gabriel.

Gabriel opened an eye to find the ghost inches from his face. 'Shit!' He jumped away and into Sam's arms.

'How long do you think she'll stay like that?' Dean asked, inspecting the ghost from every possible angle.

'No idea,' Gabriel admitted. 'Go. Do your thing. I did my part, now go do yours,' he said as he gave Sam a little push, letting his fingers linger. 'Put those big, strong arms to good use,' he said, giving Sam smirk.

As they dug up the shallow grave, they kept throwing glances to the frozen ghost, expecting her to break free at any moment. Gabriel had shuffled to the opposite corner, wanting as little to do with the ghost's demise as possible. He cringed as the ghost's essence burned away from the world.

.-.-.-.-.

When they finally returned to Bobby's house, they found a note stuck to the fridge. Bobby and Karen were out helping another Hunter, and dinner was waiting in the fridge to be reheated. Karen's neat handwriting warned of what would happen if the boys burned the house down.

Sam decided to take Gabriel up to the computer room. He wanted to run through what sort of supernatural creatures Gabriel had previously encountered, and what Gabriel could expect on future hunts. Gabriel reluctantly followed Sam upstairs, casting Dean worried glances.

Dean had a shit-eating grin plastered on his face as he waved to the angel. He didn't envy Gabriel one bit—he knew how his brother could get with research.

Dean grabbed a beer from the fridge and settled down to read a book. About halfway through his beer, the doorbell rang. He looked up, not sure if had heard correctly. No one ever visited. It rang again. He stood and slowly made his way to the door. Once he reached it, the bell rang a third time. He opened the door and cautiously peeked around it.

There, on the front porch, was a young angel. The angel was staring off to the side, distractedly pulling at the tie around his neck.

Dean mentally cataloged what he was seeing. Messy brown hair, gorgeous blue eyes, tan trench coat, slightly rumpled suit, a pair of _black_ wings, and no binding cuff. No cuff. Dean threw the door open and gave his best smile. 'Hi!'

The angel turned his stare to Dean and stopped fidgeting with his tie. 'Hello. I am looking for my brother, Gabriel,' he said.

Dean had trouble pulling his eyes away from the black wings. He'd never heard of anything darker than a pale blue-violet. 'Are those real?' he blurted out.

'I'm sorry?'

'Your wings,' Dean clarified, pointing. 'Are they naturally that color, or do you dye them?'

The angel looked over his shoulder, as if he expected to see his wings a different color. He stretched them a little. 'Yes, they are naturally this color,' he replied. He looked back to Dean. 'May I see my brother?'

'Sure, sure,' Dean stepped aside and allowed the angel to enter the house. 'Just...wait one minute.' His binding cuff was stuffed in his jacket pocket. In the other room.

The angel nodded and waited patiently while Dean hurried away. He tilted his head in question when Dean returned without Gabriel.

Dean held the cuff behind his back and thrust out his right hand. 'I should introduce myself,' he said. 'Dean Winchester.'

The angel shifted his gaze from Dean's eyes to the proffered hand. The human gesture had been explained to him once before. He had seen it performed. But…no one had ever offered to shake _his_ hand. He reached out and grasped Dean's hand. 'My name is Castiel,' he replied. He frowned when he tried to pull his hand back, but found it tightly held in place. Was he doing it wrong?

Dean's grin widened as he slapped the cuff onto Castiel's wrist. 'Yes!' he exclaimed in triumph, feeling the warmth settle over him.

Castiel looked around in confusion. Where had that warmth come from? He thought it was rather nice. He looked to the cuff on his wrist then to Dean. That must be it. They stared at each other in silence for several minutes.

Dean couldn't believe it. He was slightly in shock. An angel. A _real_ angel just appeared on his doorstep, came right inside, and was now bound to him! It didn't hurt that Castiel was pretty easy on the eyes.

'May I see my brother now?' Castiel politely asked, breaking the silence.

'Huh? Oh...uh, yeah. Sure,' Dean replied, snapping out of his musings. He led Castiel up the stairs. The door to the computer room was shut, which was odd. He brushed it off as unimportant and pushed the door open. 'Hey, Ga—!' He halted at the sight before him.

Gabriel was straddling Sam's lap, one hand buried in Sam's hair. Sam's arms were wrapped around the small angel, fingers laced through golden feathers. They both wore shocked expressions and were staring at Dean.

Castiel looked over Dean's shoulder at Gabriel.

Gabriel's shocked look quickly turned to one of anger. He pointed accusingly at Dean, just as Dean pointed at him.

'Get away from him!' Dean and Gabriel shouted in unison.


	3. Chapter 3

AN: After rewriting the opening, this moved along much more quickly. I think I should establish ages. Dean: 26, Sam: 22, Gabriel: around 28, Castiel: around 23.

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Gabriel jumped off Sam's lap and stomped up to Dean. His wings were fully extended, framing him. It would have been a more intimidating sight had he not been so short. 'You stay the hell away from my brother!' he yelled, jabbing Dean in the chest. He winced as a sharp pang traveled up his arm.

'Or you'll what?' Dean shot back as he pushed Gabriel away and entered the room. 'Flutter at me?' He brought his hands up and waggled his fingers.

Gabriel snapped his wings shut, but they remained puffed up. He seethed as the cuff sent reminding tingles up his arm. Oh, how he wanted to hurt Dean and save his little brother.

Dean crossed his arms and cocked his head to the side. He gave Gabriel a smug grin.

Sam rolled his eyes as he stood and put himself between Dean and Gabriel. 'Look, Dean, I can make my own decisions.'

'Oh, come on, Sammy! Don't tell me you're actually _attracted_ to his short ass!' Dean scoffed. 'I mean, look at you two! You're like a circus act.'

Sam shook his head and looked at the silent angel waiting in the hallway. For Gabriel's supposed brother, the two looked nothing alike. Dark hair, blue eyes, black wings... 'Why are your wings black?' he asked. Nothing he had read or heard of had ever mentioned black wings.

Castiel stared at Sam in response. He knew next to nothing on how Hunter and angel etiquette worked, but he was pretty sure he didn't have to respond to anyone but his bound Hunter. Not even his Hunter's brother.

Sam let out an irritated sigh. He looked to Gabriel, who crossed his arms in response.

'He got it from Dad,' Gabriel said before Sam could ask. 'I take after Mom; he takes after Dad.'

'Did he have black wings, too?' Dean asked.

'No,' Castiel replied. He shifted his attention to Gabriel. 'Father wants us to return home.'

Gabriel raised a brow at his brother. He raised his right hand and pulled the sleeve of his jacket back. 'A little late for that,' he bitterly replied.

Castiel frowned as he stared at his brother's cuff. He brought his wrist up and inspected his own binding cuff. It was similar to his brother's, but there were slight differences. Both were a of dull silver and had the same spellwork carved into them, but the handwriting was different and his own seemed to have been stained by blood and grease.

'C-Cas! He—!' Gabriel stared at the cuff on his brother's wrist. 'You just couldn't resist, could you?' he asked numbly.

Dean didn't know what he should say. He was a Hunter. It was what Hunters did. Hunt monsters, catch and bind an angel. He looked to Sam for some sort of clue.

Gabriel suddenly turned to Dean. 'You can release him! You don't need him. You have me,' he said desperately. 'Hell, most Hunter families only have one angel, if any! You guys already have two. Please, you don't—' He stopped when he felt a familiar hand rest on his arm. He looked to see Castiel's intense stare focused on him. 'Castiel...'

'I'm fine,' Castiel insisted. He gave Gabriel an uncertain smile. 'I'll explain the situation to Father.'

Gabriel grimaced. 'Oh, yeah._ This'll_ go over well.'

Castiel gave a real smile. 'I'm sure he'll completely understand.'

'Right over your head.'

'I'm sorry?'

Gabriel sighed and looked from Castiel to the two Hunters. 'Cas has led a very...sheltered life,' he said. 'There's some things that need explaining. And I'm sure you two have a lot to yell about.'

'Oh. Sure,' Sam replied and looked to Dean.

Dean let out an annoyed huff. He just got his angel, only to lose him to brotherly chitchats. 'Fine. Go primp your wings or whatever.'

Gabriel quickly dragged Castiel from the room, leaving Sam and Dean alone.

'Seriously? _Gabriel_? Don't you think you could do a little better?' Dean asked. 'Maybe aim a little _higher_?'

'Oh, come off it, Dean!' Sam snapped. 'And what about...Castee...'

'Castiel.'

'What about _him_? Why are his wings _black_?!'

'You heard them, gets it from his dad's side,' Dean replied.

Sam sighed. 'Dean, I know you're excited, but...'

'So, I'm not allowed to have an angel? You can sit there and fuck _your_ angel, but I can't have one. Is that it?'

'What? No! It's just...I've never heard of black wings before.'

'So he has some sort of deformity or mutation. Maybe that's why we've never heard of it. Maybe it's like some big genetic defect angels are ashamed of. Reverse albino, or whatever. Well, _I'm_ not ashamed of him!' Dean declared as he marched out of the room.

Sam frowned. He hoped it was something as simple as a genetic mutation. Maybe it was something recent, angels being born with darker wings. He followed Dean downstairs and into the kitchen.

Gabriel and Castiel sat across from each other at the kitchen table. Gabriel looked completely frustrated, and Castiel was sporting a bewildered stare. His eyes flicked back and forth between Gabriel and Dean.

With one last look to his brother, Castiel cautiously stood and made his way to Dean. 'Um, if I am to be living here, it may be best for you to show me around.'

Dean nodded and motioned for Castiel to follow him. Just before leaving the kitchen, he threw a glare at Gabriel. 'I'm watching you,' he warned the disappeared through the doorway.

Gabriel rolled his eyes before pushing away from the table. He hopped onto the tabletop and spread his legs as he gave Sam a lewd smile. 'Now, then. Where were we?'

Sam blushed as he stammered a reply. 'Dude, no!'

'But, Sammy,' Gabriel pouted, flitting the tips of his wings.

'No. Look, just help me make dinner.'

.-.-.-.-.

As Dean showed Castiel around, he came to the conclusion that his angel had been a real shut-in. He didn't even know what a radio was. It was odd. He was clearly well-educated, had read a great deal of classic literature, and could easily name every spell and ward placed around the house. Which was more than Dean could say for Gabriel.

As Dean silently compared Gabriel and Castiel, he recalled how Gabriel had killed several humans to hide the first death. He had a sneaking suspicion Castiel was the one responsible for that first death.

'So, Cas... Have you ever killed any humans?' he asked, trying to come off as casual.

Castiel stopped in his tracks and pulled his wings in tightly. He stared up at Dean's questioning gaze. 'I-I'm sorry. It was an accident. I didn't...' He looked down, clenching his hands into fists. 'I didn't mean to kill him,' he said quickly.

Dean thought back to the first death. The man had been a middle-aged Hunter. His eyes had been burned out of his sockets. It was the only external evidence of what had happened. The autopsy had revealed that his insides had been completely burned, leaving a charred and bloody mess.

'Um, what happened?' Dean asked, mentally reminding himself that the binding cuff would protect him from anything Castiel could potentially do to him.

Castiel bit his lip in thought. 'I was alone, and... I think he was after a ghost. He found me instead...' He looked up at Dean. 'I didn't like how he felt. He felt...evil. I tried to run away, but...'

Dean lightly touched Castiel's shoulder. He nearly stumbled when the angel threw himself into Dean and clung tightly, wrapping his wings around them both.

'He grabbed me, and I could feel _everything_! All the lies, how he tortured vampires for fun, how he was in it for the money, and not to help humans,' Castiel cried. 'I just wanted the feeling gone. I wanted the evil gone... I didn't mean to _kill _him.'

Dean nodded as he awkwardly patted Castiel on the back. Castiel had literally burned the evil out of the Hunter. A proper smiting. 'And that's when Gabriel found you?' he asked.

Castiel looked up, confused. He wiped at his eyes as he spoke. 'No. I had to find him myself. He liked to flirt with humans in the park and take their food. That's where I found him,' he explained. 'I had to show him the body. He was very angry. Not at me, though. The Hunter.'

Dean frowned. A proper smiting without breaking a sweat? Smiting even the lowest ghost could take out an angel for at least a few days. If Castiel was capable of that, then why did he let Dean bind him?

'Is something wrong?' Castiel asked, pulling away and breaking Dean from his thoughts.

'N-no, just wondering why you didn't er...why you let me bind you,' Dean replied.

'I hadn't realized at first,' Castiel admitted. 'No one had ever really explained the process to me,' he said as he fingered the cuff on his wrist. 'I imagined it would be made of iron and much larger. But this, this is nice.'

Dean beamed proudly. 'I should hope so! I made it myself.'

'It feels like you.'

'Huh?'

Castiel searched for words to describe what he felt. 'Nice...pure.'

'Right...' Dean wouldn't have described himself as such. 'Anyway, back to the tour. We only have one TV, but you'll have to fight Karen for the remote. Word of advice: Don't.'

Castiel perked up. 'TV? I like TV.'

'You like TV?' Dean asked, dumbfounded. 'Never heard of a radio, but you "like TV."' He shook his head as they entered the living room. 'Well, there it is,' he said as he pointed to the old CRT television in the corner.

Castiel stared then looked around the room. 'Where?'

Dean walked over and patted the TV. 'Right here.'

Castiel frowned and tilted his head. 'That's not a TV.'

Dean looked down, confirming that it was, in fact, a TV. 'Yes, it is.'

'No...it's not,' Castiel insisted.

'This oughtta be good. All right, then. Enlighten me. What does a TV look like?' Dean asked as he crossed his arms, giving Castiel a patronizing look.

Castiel huffed in irritation. He wasn't stupid. 'Well, they're bigger,' he said as he stretched out his arms and wings. 'And...flatter...and not as square.'

Dean opened his mouth and quickly shut it. No. The sheltered, shut-in angel's idea of a television was a _flatcreen_? 'Well, I hate to break it to you, Cas, but we just have an old school tube TV.'

'Tube?'

'Yep.' Dean turned the power on.

Castiel frowned at the image on the screen. This was not TV. TV had stocks and cartoons. A remote was thrust into his hand. There were...very few buttons.

'And, hey! We also have a VCR!' Dean declared as he slapped Castiel on the back. He let his hand linger, then gave up on self-restraint and ran his hand along the ridge of one wing.

Castiel squeaked and almost dropped the remote. No one, other than family, had ever touched his wings before. He didn't think anyone even wanted to. The few other angels he had met always stared at his wings and did their best to avoid him. He turned to look at Dean, but found himself alone. He sighed and fiddled with the remote in his hands. A soft ringing drew his attention to his pocket. He turned off the TV and set down the remote before fishing out the cellphone. 'Hello, Father.'

He looked around the room as he listened to his father. 'Yes, I found him. But, there are...complications. … I'm afraid we have both been bound to Hunters. … I believe Gabriel feels the same way. … Sam and Dean Winchester.'

Castiel barely pulled the phone away from his ear in time to avoid permanent damage. 'I...I don't believe that would be necessary... … Not as much as Gabriel. … Y-yes, Father. I understand. … I'll go find him.'

He quickly made his way back to the kitchen. He ignored the humans in favor of shoving the phone into his brother's hand. 'Father would like to speak with you,' he said and quickly retreated to Dean's side.

Gabriel gave Castiel a pathetic look before cautiously raising the phone to his ear. He held it slightly away as he spoke. 'Dad! How's it hangin'?' He waited, looking up at the ceiling as the voice on the other end threatened to burst the phone's speaker. 'Wait, wait! _Who_?'

Sam and Dean watched with interest as Gabriel paled considerably and sent Sam a shocked look.

'I-I had no idea. … I understand. … I'll do that. … Yeah, you, too. … Bye.' Gabriel closed the phone and stared at Castiel. 'Dad's sending bodyguards,' he finally said.

Castiel frowned. 'Is that really necessary?' he asked.

'According to Dad? It's more than necessary, and he should probably be sending an army, but he'll settle for a few minions,' Gabriel replied.

'Minions?' Sam repeated.

Gabriel sighed and tossed the phone from hand to hand. 'They may as well be. Minions, worker bees, servants, whatever you want to call it.'

'What the hell kind of angel _is_ your dad?' Dean asked.

Castiel looked at the floor before meeting Dean's eyes. 'The kind that cares about his family?'


	4. Chapter 4

AN: Thank you for all the reviews, follows, alerts, or whatever everything's being called now! Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoy this chapter.

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It was around three in the morning when Bobby and Karen got home. Bobby was completely sore and couldn't wait to take a long, relaxing shower, followed up by an ice-cold beer.

The house was dark except for a flickering light coming from the living room. Thinking the boys had fallen asleep in front of the TV again, Karen went to turn it off.

When she entered the room, she immediately recognized Gabriel's soft snores. She looked over to the couch with a fond smile. Her smile froze when she caught sight of a pair of blue eyes staring at her intently. An unknown boy sat on the couch, wrapped in a quilt, and Gabriel was using him as a pillow.

A soft glint caught Karen's attention. The boy was holding the remote control, and on his wrist was a binding cuff. Her eyes shifted back up, and she gave the young angel a warm smile.

Castiel pulled the quilt more tightly around himself. He knew the kindness would only last until she saw his wings. Humans were a little more accepting of his wings than other angels. He leaned into Gabriel as Karen approached the couch.

'Hey there, sweetie,' Karen said softly as she sat on the edge of the couch. 'I'm Karen. What's your name?'

'C-Castiel,' he replied. He really didn't like her proximity to him. She was warm, sweet, pure, smelled of cherries and vanilla, and there was an underlying streak of viciousness to her. He wanted her away from him. Or at least have Dean closer. Dean liked him _and_ his wings. Sam was polite, but Castiel could tell the younger brother was still wary.

Gabriel woke up with a loud snort. He was having such a good dream, but he was pulled out of it by Castiel's anxiety. He wrapped his arms around his brother and snuggled closer. 'I'm tryin' to sleep here, Cas,' he mumbled. 'You can have your stupid panic attack in the morning.'

'It _is_ morning,' Castiel replied, not taking his eyes off of Karen.

Gabriel growled in annoyance. 'Anything before ten is not considered "morning,"' he said.

'I'm surprised you're aware time exists before noon,' Karen commented.

Gabriel quickly straightened. So that was the problem. He gave Castiel a quick once over. No wings showing, no stray feathers. Good. He relaxed. There was still some time to prepare Castiel for Karen's reaction. He hoped his brother wouldn't end up sulking in dark corners for weeks on end like last time.

'Karen, hi!' Gabriel greeted. 'How was the hunt?'

'More work than it was worth,' Bobby replied as he entered the room. After a large yawn, he looked around the room, and his eyes fell on Castiel. He gave a big smile. 'And just where did Dean find you?'

'On the porch,' Castiel replied. His eyes flicked between Karen and Bobby. His wings shifted under the quilt. He was holding it so tightly that his wings were feeling uncomfortable and constricted.

'Hey, guys,' Gabriel cut in with a yawn. 'Can we discuss all this in the morning? Over food? Y'know? _After_ sleep?'

Karen laughed and nodded. 'Of course. I'll make waffles,' she promised.

Bobby stretched, popping a few joints. 'Right. See you two bright an' early.'

After Bobby and Karen had been gone for several minutes, Gabriel released his hold of Castiel. 'You gonna be all right?' he asked.

Castiel let the quilt pool around his hips and stretched out his wings. 'I don't think she'll like me.'

'Karen? Nah, she's nice,' Gabriel assured. 'She likes everyone.'

Castiel slouched, giving his brother a disbelieving frown. 'Her wings are so _white_,' he said.

'Then you should get along great. Y'know, ebony and ivory, perfect harmony, and all that crap?'

Castiel sighed and wished he could be as positive about it as Gabriel. He supposed he shouldn't worry about Karen's reaction until morning. He turned off the TV and was about get comfortable when Gabriel tugged on his wing.

'Y'know what you should do, Cas?'

.-.-.-.-.

Dean awoke to a warm weight being pressed along his side. He was reminded of his childhood. When he and Sam were much younger, Sam would often crawl into bed with him in the middle of the night. Dean looked over, half expecting to see Sam curled up next to him. Instead, he saw a shock of dark brown hair poking out from under a black wing.

He quickly blinked his sleep away and stared at Castiel's back. Every so often, a wing would twitch. He had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep from giggling as some of the soft feathers grazed his side. Should he wake up Castiel? Don't wake him up? Would Castiel mind if Dean ran his fingers through the soft feathers?

Dean repositioned himself so that he was about six inches away from properly spooning Castiel. When there was no movement from the angel, Dean licked his lips and slowly reached for a twitching wing.

He held his breath and he lightly touched the soft, black feathers. He waited to see if Castiel would awaken. When he was certain that he was in the clear, he gently ran his fingers through the feathers. He almost jumped when the wing he was caressing stretched out. He continued to gently run his hand along the length of the wing once it settled back down.

Dean's breath caught when he heard Castiel emit a throaty moan. He tried, but he just couldn't get himself to stop petting. Every time he brought his hand down, Castiel would make a new noise. Soft moans, light gasps, and needy whines. The sounds were going straight to Dean's groin.

He couldn't stop himself from sticking his free hand down his boxers and giving his hardening member a light squeeze. He really, really shouldn't be doing this. He gripped at Castiel's wing a little harder as he held back a moan.

Castiel was having a wonderful dream. It probably had something to do with Gabriel insisting that he loom over Dean and wait for the Hunter to wake up. After about an hour, sleep had finally caught up to him. He'd had plenty of wet dreams before, but this one felt a little more real than the others. Someone was stroking his wings. Not just grooming them, but full on stroking. Fingers were running through his feathers, lightly displacing them, seeking out every last erogenous zone.

Castiel tended to be a lucid dreamer, so he imagined his unseen partner was Dean. He knew his brother would give him an earful for such thoughts, but he liked Dean. Dean was brave, good, attractive, and had beautiful green eyes. He had seen into Dean's soul and knew the attraction was mutual. So, there was nothing wrong with him dreaming about the young Hunter, right?

He had never felt a sense of lust coming from his imaginary partners before. Maybe he was getting better at lucid dreaming. He was enjoying the sensations when Dean let out a low groan. And then it hit him. It wasn't a dream. Dean really was touching him.

Castiel's eyes flew open, and he reflexively pulled his wings in tight. He stared ahead and held his breath. What should he do? What should he say? He could feel embarrassment and shame coming through the connection of the binding cuff. He didn't want Dean to feel that way. Should he excuse himself? Should he encourage Dean to continue? He felt the mattress shift and shake, and he watched as Dean ran from the room, muttering apologies.

Castiel slowly sat up and stared at the door. He wanted to ask Gabriel for advice, but he knew his brother would only answer with extremes. Either jump Dean or castrate him. And judging by his brother's earlier reaction, castration or murder were the more likely suggestions.

He sighed in frustration and gave his wings a quick flap, straightening out his feathers. He decided to wait for Dean to return to the room.

After an hour had passed, he gave up. He stood up and caught sight of himself in the mirror hanging above Dean's dresser. He was wearing only an undershirt and trousers. With a thought, he was fully dressed. He frowned at his reflection. He had never really gotten the hang of summoning freshly ironed clothes, much to his father's dismay. He wondered if he should make the effort of physically ironing his clothes. Would Dean appreciate it?

He pulled at his sleeves self-consciously while taking a final glance at the mirror. He sighed and headed downstairs.

He heard Gabriel's loud laughter coming from the kitchen. He slowly poked his head around the corner. Everyone but Karen sat around the table, and there were two empty seats. He chewed on his lip as he watched the others interact. Dean was acting as if nothing had happened, and he appeared to be wearing clothes that were a touch too big for him. And Gabriel was sitting awfully close to Sam.

'Oh!'

Castiel's attention was pulled to Karen.

She smiled at him and raised the large plate of waffles she was holding. 'Why don't you join us, Castiel?'

He shifted his attention from Karen to the table. All eyes were focused on him, and he shied away.

'C'mon, Cas,' Dean coaxed. 'Karen makes the best waffles.'

Castiel looked at the floor and took a deep breath. Without looking up, he fully entered the kitchen. He flinched at the shattering crash that came from Karen's direction.

'W-what's wrong with your wings?!' Karen exclaimed.

The chair screeched loudly against the floor as Dean stood up. '_Nothing's_ wrong with his wings,' he said as he went and stood next to Castiel. He wrapped an arm around Castiel's shoulders and pulled him close.

Castiel gasped at the contact and looked up at Dean's face. There was such a strong sense of possessiveness and a need to protect coming from Dean. Right then, he felt like he could deal with anything.

'It's genetic,' Gabriel added.

'Then why ain't _your_ wings black?' Bobby asked.

'I take after our mom. Which is why I'm way hotter,' Gabriel replied, proudly flexing his wings. 'Wouldn't you agree, Sammy?'

Sam ignored Gabriel in favor of pouring syrup on his waffles. His morning had been...interesting. And as much as his body wanted the rest of the day to be interesting, he didn't think his mind could handle much more.

Karen's eyes never left Castiel's wings. It was impolite to stare, but she just couldn't help herself. Surely, she would have heard of something like this happening. Someone somewhere would have seen something. And there was something else about the boy that just wasn't...right. Not wrong, but certainly not how a normal angel should feel. She had met plenty of angels whose parents were not both angel, but that wasn't it.

'C'mon, Cas. We'll just go to IHOP or something,' Dean said, pulling Karen from her thoughts.

She finally broke her gaze from the black wings and looked to Bobby for his opinion on the matter.

Bobby and Karen had been bound to each other for many years. He had found her when he was eighteen. At a movie theater of all places. The white shawl she wore that night fooled the other patrons, but not Bobby.

He didn't have to fake the nervousness of a young man approaching a pretty girl. He even fumbled and dropped his binding cuff. He could only stare in dismay at the thin, silver cuff that lay on the ground. He was completely red-faced and shocked when the pretty blond angel picked up the cuff and handed it to him with a friendly smile, asking if he'd like another go. The week that followed was absolute hell.

Through the years, Bobby began noticing emotions that weren't his own. Small at first, but with each passing year, they became stronger and more distinct. He then realized the cuff's connection was giving him a small glimpse into Karen's thoughts.

And it was at that moment in the kitchen that Bobby was hit with an intense questioning worry coming from Karen. He looked at Dean and Castiel. Dean looked determined and completely at ease around Castiel, and the angel looked comfortable in Dean's hold, even happy...if he had to put an emotion to Castiel's near-blank stare. Everything Gabriel had mentioned painted Castiel as being calm, intelligent, and naïve. He couldn't think of a more perfect match for Dean. Hell, the damn angel even came with a black paint job.

'Don't be a drama queen, boy,' Bobby said. 'You two come an' sit down. And you,' Bobby pointed his fork at Castiel, 'don't burn the house down or do anything you can't fix.'

Castiel blinked in confusion. He looked up at Dean for an answer, but was just met by a smug grin. So he looked to Gabriel and finally received a response.

'I'll explain everything later,' he heard Gabriel's voice softly echo through his mind. He allowed himself to be guided to the table and gently pushed into a chair. A large waffle was set before him. It had a smiley face made of whipped cream, bacon, and a large strawberry for a nose. Whipped cream was a breakfast item?

'Just eat the damned thing, Castiel!' Gabriel shouted in annoyance.

'But...'

'Dad's not here to "disapprove,"' Gabriel said as he shoveled what looked to be mostly syrup into his mouth.

Castiel sighed and nodded. Unlike his brother, he didn't live on sugar.

'So, Cas,' Bobby said, 'do you think you'd be any good on a hunt?'

Castiel looked up from his happy waffle. 'In what capacity?'

Gabriel huffed. 'He'll do fine,' he grudgingly admitted.

'Better than you did?' Sam teased.

'I'm a lover, baby, not a fighter.'

Sam rolled his eyes as Dean glared at Gabriel. 'What's the job?' Sam asked.

'Wendigo. One stated over,' Bobby replied. 'Should be a cake walk with two angels.'

Gabriel dropped his head on the table, narrowly avoiding his plate.

'You boys leave tomorrow.'

'But...I don't like wendigoes,' Castiel said.

Dean gripped Castiel's shoulder, making sure to 'accidentally' brush against the wing. 'Don't worry, I'll protect you.'

'Oh, I'm not worried,' Castiel replied and maneuvered his wing so that it rested against Dean's hand. 'And I'll be certain to protect _you_.'


	5. Chapter 5

AN: Sorry for taking so long! It just kept going and going! Anyway, thank you so much for the reviews and faves and such, and for sticking with me! Also, going with flare gun as weapon of choice because it seems like the practical one.

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'Dammit, Cas! It's tradition,' Gabriel insisted.

Castiel stared at his reflection in the dirty mirror. The group had stopped at a small truck stop on their way to the hunt. Half the car ride so far had been spent on the Winchesters' new favorite topic: arguing about Castiel's wings. Sam insisted Castiel should hide them and keep a low profile, and Dean just brushed off Sam's opinions. Gabriel had been commanded into silence by an irritated Sam, and Castiel would have preferred to have spent the ride in the trunk.

Castiel flexed his wings and sighed. He had already drawn so much attention. At least there were no other angels at the truck stop.

Gabriel groaned in annoyance. 'Stop moping. You're giving me a headache,' he complained.

Castiel pulled his gaze from his reflection and directed it at his brother. 'I just don't understand _why_ I have to do it,' he said.

'Do what?' Gabriel asked in confusion, then quickly remembered. 'Oh, so you _were_ listening! Good. Anyway, it's tradition.'

Castiel gave Gabriel a doubtful look. 'Traditions can change.'

'Okay, bad explanation. The truth of it is, you need to test the bond.'

'But—'

'No! You need to test it. Act out, force him to snap at you. If it's meant to be, if he _deserves_ you, then the cuff will stay in place,' Gabriel explained.

'And if not?'

'Then it...snaps or breaks...or something. Anyway, you're free.'

Castiel looked at the cuff on his wrist. He liked Dean. What if...it really wasn't meant to be? The cuff hadn't broken yet, so he hoped he was already in the clear. 'Are there any other signs?' he asked.

'"Signs,"' Gabriel echoed in an incredulous tone. 'Well, Miss Cleo, if you can lie when he asks you a question, that's a good sign. Ignoring orders... Just...stuff you shouldn't be able to get away with.'

Castiel looked back at his brother. 'I don't think—'

'Of course you don't!' Gabriel interrupted. 'That's why I'm here.'

Castiel hugged himself and looked around the restroom uncertainly. He was different. This 'tradition' probably didn't apply to him like it did his brother. He was surprised the cuff even had any effect on him at all. 'I don't really _want_ to, though.'

Gabriel sighed. He moved so that he stood in front of Castiel. 'Look,' he said, placing his hands on Castiel's shoulders. 'Mom was s'posed to give you "the talk," not me...'

'Father spoke to me about it...a little,' Castiel said.

Gabriel laughed. 'Yeah, I remember hearing shouting through the door. Didn't he threaten to wring your scrawny little neck if you ever got cuffed?' he asked with a smirk.

Castiel gave a small smile in return. 'That was about all he said on the subject,' he replied. 'I...like hearing it from you, though.'

Gabriel pulled Castiel into a hug. 'You'll figure out your own ways to test the bond. If you want any suggestions, just ask.'

Castiel hugged back. 'I'll do my best,' he promised.

'Great! Now, let's go eat. I'm starved.'

The pair of angels quickly joined Dean and Sam at one of the booths. As Castiel slid in next to Dean, he noticed that he wasn't receiving stares anymore. He looked curiously over to Dean.

Dean leaned over and spoke quietly into Castiel's ear. 'I told them you're going through a goth phase and dyed your wings.'

Castiel stared at the paper placemat in front on him. Dean didn't have to do that. Castiel was accustomed to receiving stares. As long as no one made a big deal about it, he was just fine pretending that he wasn't bothered. It was usually other angels that fretted over his wings, anyway. 'Thank you,' he said.

'I also ordered for you,' Dean said as he went back to looking at the map between him and Sam.

'Hey, what's that?' Gabriel asked, jabbing at a symbol on the map.

'Campground,' Sam replied distractedly, brushing Gabriel's hand away. He tried to ignore how Gabriel's fingers managed to become tangled with his.

'Why is it circled?' Castiel asked.

'Because that's where the latest attack was,' Dean replied.

'Please don't tell me we're going camping,' Gabriel said with distaste. 'I'm much too fragile for that.'

'Well, if we get in, kill it, and get out, then there won't be any camping,' Dean said. 'So, there's your incentive to do a good job.'

'_I_ like camping,' Castiel chimed in.

'No,' Gabriel said with a careful tone, '_you_ like camping out on the couch. _Camping_ is what we were doing when we ran away.'

Castiel's eyes widened, and he looked to Dean pleadingly. 'I _don't_ like camping. Can we not camp?'

Dean snorted and rolled his eyes. 'We're staying at a motel.'

'Motel?'

'Upscale camping,' Gabriel offered helpfully.

Dean cut in before Castiel could argue. 'More like a low end hotel,' he told Castiel. 'Beds, bathroom, TV. The essentials.' He patted Castiel's back when he noticed the angel still looked miserable. 'It'll be fine.'

Castiel wanted to ask more, having never stayed at a hotel either, but the waitress had arrived with their food.

Dean loved their waitress. She was everything he thought a truck stop waitress should be: round, rosey-cheeked, slightly graying hair, and flirty. She was perfect. Even though the meal was being comped, he was going to leave her a great tip.

'House salad for tall and gorgeous,' she said with a wink as she began setting down plates. 'French toast for Goldy, and bacon cheeseburgers for pretty green eyes and Little Blackie. You boys enjoy and holler if you need anythin'.'

'Sammy-boy! You remembered!' Gabriel exclaimed. '_Someone's_ gettin' powdered-sugar-kisses tonight.'

Dean threw Gabriel a glare as he bit into his burger.

Castiel stared at his plate. 'Little...Blackie?' he eventually asked.

'I'll loan you the book,' Sam replied before digging into his salad.

'There's a book?' both Dean and Gabriel asked.

'I dunno if I could read that. I mean, it just wouldn't be right without John Wayne,' said Gabriel.

Sam chose to keep his mouth shut. Especially when a certain angel's leg draped itself across his lap.

Castiel sighed, partly from his inability to be in a conversation, much less control it, and partly from the food on his plate. The last time he had eaten anything resembling a burger, Gabriel had managed to burn down half the kitchen. And the burger had tasted awful. He picked up the cheeseburger anyway, not wanting to be impolite, and took a small bite.

It was wonderful.

For the first time since the Kitchen Masacre of '95, he understood why his brother had wanted him to try the unhealthy dish. In no time at all, he had scarfed down the entire cheeseburger and started on the fries. They weren't nearly as good.

Dean looked over just in time to see his angel polish off the cheeseburger. 'I'd say "slow down," but I guess it's too late for that,' he said.

'It was delicious!' Castiel declared through a mouth full of french fries. He quickly looked down and swallowed, blushing brightly. 'S-sorry,' he said quietly.

Dean reached over and ruffled Castiel's hair. 'Nothin' to be sorry about,' he said with a big grin. He moved his hand lower and gave Castiel's wings a light scratch.

Castiel blushed deeper and jumped at the sound of cutlery slamming into a plate. He glanced up and saw his brother glaring at Dean, fork stabbed into the small pile of french toast.

'Knock it off,' Gabriel growled.

Dean switched to stroking the wings, giving Gabriel a shit eating grin in response. He paused when he felt a hand tightly grip his thigh. He looked at Castiel curiously.

'He's right, Dean,' Castiel whispered. 'This is inappropriate behavior.'

Dean reluctantly pulled his hand away. He rolled his eyes at Gabriel's smug smile. 'Fine,' he said. 'You wanna know what else is inappropriate behavior? Forgetting I can _hear you two_ at three in the morning.'

'No, _that's_ called being inconsiderate,' Gabriel replied.

Sam blushed and ducked his head. 'You could have said something,' he mumbled. 'Banged on the wall...'

'I believe neither of us wished to bring you discomfort,' Castiel replied.

Dean nodded in agreement. His head snapped to Castiel as realization hit him. 'How did _you_ hear?'

'Um... I was...watching you sleep,' Castiel said.

'Huh... Okay then. Weird, but...okay,' Dean said with a shrug.

.-.-.-.-.

Castiel looked around the motel room in dismay. It may not have been as bad as Gabriel's description of typical motel fair, but it was pretty close. And it smelled weird, too.

Dean threw their bags on the beds. 'Alright, me an' Sam'll take this one, and you two'll take that one,' he said as he pointed.

'Aw, but _I_ wanna sleep with Sam,' Gabriel whined at Dean's back.

Dean slowly turned to face Gabriel with a smirk. 'Do you _really_ wanna trade?' he asked as he let his gaze fall on Castiel.

Gabriel's mouth snapped shut, and he looked from Dean to Castiel. 'Er...well...' He let out a frustrated noise and kicked at the carpeting. 'No...,' he grudgingly admitted.

'Dean, stop being a jerk,' Sam said as he brought in the rest of the bags.

'I was just givin' him a choice,' Dean innocently replied.

Castiel silently went around the room, opening drawers and investigating every corner. Maybe if he familiarized himself with the room, it wouldn't be so bad. He made it to one of the nightstands and slid open the top drawer. It was full of condoms. He couldn't bring himself to look away.

Gabriel sidled up and looked over Castiel's shoulder. 'Uh...is this normal?' he asked, reaching in and pulling out a handful of condoms.

Sam and Dean looked at each other. _They_ knew what sort of motel they were staying in—the kind that catered to Hunters and the hourly crowd—but how could they explain it to the two angels without giving the wrong impression?

'It's the closest motel to the job,' Dean eventually replied.

Gabriel gave Dean a doubtful stare before he stuffed the handful of condoms into his coat pocket. 'I'm onto you.'

'Why do they need flavoring?' Castiel asked, holding up a brightly colored packet.

'Because,' Gabriel replied, yanking the condom out of Castiel's hand. He tossed it back into the drawer and slammed the drawer shut.

Castiel stared expectantly at his brother. When it dawned on him that Gabriel had nothing else to say on the matter, he turned his gaze to Dean. 'Dean?'

'Blowjobs,' Dean automatically replied. He elaborated after Gabriel's indignant squawk. 'Y'see, Cas, some girls—or guys—just don't like the taste of cum, so they'll give blowjobs with a condom. Normal condoms don't taste or smell too good, so...flavored condoms.'

'Oh. Yes, that makes perfect sense,' Castiel said, nodding. He paused for a moment and thought back to a piece of advice he had received a while ago. 'What do _you_ prefer?'

'Well—,' Dean stopped himself short. He eyed Castiel uncertainly, but his angel looked to be completely serious. He'd had some forward lovers in the past, but not one of them had ever managed to come off as innocent and sincere. 'Right now, I prefer pizza.'

Castiel looked to Gabriel and silently asked, 'Am I doing something wrong?'

Gabriel gripped Castiel's shoulder reassuringly. 'For _my_ sanity, baby brother... Please switch tactics,' was his mental reply. Aloud, he said, 'We're getting those cinnamon frosting things, right?'

Castiel frowned. He had a feeling that he and Gabriel were not talking about the same thing, but he figured he would worry about it later.

.-.-.-.-.

Sam was the first to wake up. As he trudged slowly towards the bathroom, he happened to glance over at the other bed. In the early morning light, he could just make out a tangle of sheets, limbs, and wings. He already knew Gabriel was a sprawler, having woken up enough times with the angel's arms and legs draped across his body, and, from the looks of it, Castiel was a cuddler. Gabriel's limbs lay on top of Castiel, and Castiel had somehow wrapped himself around the smaller angel.

It was adorable. Sam couldn't resist. He quietly opened his duffel and pulled out his camera. Making sure the flash was off, he took a few pictures. Satisfied, he tucked the camera back into his bag and began his morning regiment.

Gabriel slowly opened his eyes at the sounds coming from the bathroom. He lifted his head and looked to the other bed. He saw Dean blissfully asleep and tightly clutching a pillow. Through his sleep-addled mind, Gabriel took stock. Cas was wrapped around him, and Dean was on the other bed. Someone was missing. Someone was starting the shower. Sam! _Sam_ was taking a shower!

Gabriel shot up and flailed his way out of bed.

Castiel was jarred awake, mostly from the knee on his wing. When his eyes finally focused, he was treated to his brother's naked backside disappearing into the bathroom. He heard a high pitched yelp, followed by hushed tones.

He sighed and looked over at Dean, who was still asleep. He wondered if he should wake the Hunter. He settled on pulling out his phone and sending a text. As he waited for a reply, he watched Dean sleep.

.-.-.-.-.

Dean was not in the mood. He had woken up to his brother and Gabriel exiting the bathroom together. He may have let it slide if the pair hadn't used all of the hot water. After his shortened shower, Castiel had greeted him with a great cup of coffee. It would have been perfect, but Castiel seemed to have gotten it in his head that he needed to be a cocktease.

'Wow! Thanks, Cas,' Dean said, taking the steaming mug from Castiel. He took a sip. It had the perfect amount of cream and sugar.

'It may not be exactly to your liking,' Castiel said. 'There was no creamer, so I had to improvise with a substitute.'

'It tastes fine. What'd you use for a sub?'

'My cum,' Castiel replied with a straight face.

The mug was resting against Dean's lips. He couldn't wrap his mind around what Castiel had just said. 'W-what...?'

'I thought of you.'

Dean looked at the contents of the mug. It had to be a lie. But... He looked over at Sam and Gabriel.

Sam stared back, slack-jawed. Gabriel looked torn between outrage and laughter.

Dean coughed as he shifted his gaze back to Castiel. Whatever was going on, he was determined to turn it back in his favor. 'In that case,' he said with a grin, 'you can sweeten my coffee any day.' He downed the rest of the coffee and handed the mug back to Castiel and was rewarded with a sweet, but slightly confused smile.

It didn't stop there. Castiel kept making slightly sexual comments, but it seemed like he didn't quite understand just what he was saying. It was driving Dean insane.

When they reached the forest, the rest of the morning had been spent listening to Gabriel gripe about insects and sticks. Castiel was being quiet and not respecting Dean's personal space, but shying away every time the Hunter tried to touch him, leaving Dean utterly confused. And Sam...Sam was being Sam.

And, just to top everything off, apparently neither angel was any good at locating the wendigo.

'Well, we've only ever read about them, and there's lots of dead things here,' Gabriel argued. 'You're asking us to find a needle in a haystack! And we've never even _seen_ a needle.'

'Y—'

'Figure of speech, Castiel!' Gabriel snapped. He didn't know what to do about his brother. His sweet, innocent, naïve, sheltered baby brother. His brother who could deliver off the wall lines with a strange, practiced ease. Gabriel knew for certain that Castiel hadn't learned any of it from him. And their father was careful about who they interacted with—especially Castiel. So where... And then he finally realized who corrupted his baby brother.

Gabriel rounded on Castiel. 'Gimme your phone,' he demanded.

Castiel sighed and handed his phone over. He watched helplessly as Gabriel sifted through the various texts. Maybe he should start deleting them... He flinched when Gabriel's wings flapped out aggressively.

'What's going on? What's wrong?' Sam asked.

Gabriel growled in frustration as he jabbed at the phone's buttons. 'Cas has been getting advice from questionable sources,' he explained.

'Advice?' Dean asked.

Gabriel gave a laugh as he turned to Dean. 'Did you really think _Cas_ came up with cumshot coffee cream? Cas, whose idea of a good time is a Scooby-Doo marathon while doing taxes?'

Castiel looked down and shuffled his feet. He was well aware that he was on the boring side. It was why he'd asked for advice in the first place. Gabriel seemed to think he was testing the cuff's bond. He didn't really want Gabriel to know the truth, but it was too late now.

'What the fuck, man?!' Gabriel shouted. 'Did you ask _everyone_?'

'All, but you and Father,' Castiel admitted quietly. 'I had a feeling you wouldn't approve...'

'No, shit!'

'Is this about uh...' Sam trailed off, waving his hand in the air.

Gabriel sighed and showed Sam one of Castiel's texts. 'Worse.'

Sam read the text and couldn't keep the smile off his face.

_B, How does one go about flirting? -C_

Castiel turned bright red at the laughter coming from Sam.

'What's so funny?' Dean asked.

Gabriel tossed the phone to Dean. He smirked at Castiel's bowed head. He had never seen anyone blush so hard.

'Fishsticks? What's so funny about—' Dean pointed accusingly at Gabriel. 'You changed the message!'

Castiel's head shot up in time to see his brother give Dean a shrug. He quickly made his way to Dean and pulled his phone from the unresisting hand. 'Please don't ask about it,' he mumbled.

Dean crossed his arms. He hadn't been tempted to abuse his power over the bond yet, not until that moment. The text had to be about him. 'Will you tell me later?' he asked.

Castiel nodded. Later was safe. Later could be years. He looked at his phone. All of the old texts had been deleted. It was just as well. He was about to put it away when the screen flashed with a new message.

_C, Be yourself. -G PS – If he breaks your heart, I'll kill him and bury the body on Mars._

Castiel shoved the phone in his pocket. He sent a silent 'thank you' to Gabriel.

'Right. Whatever,' Dean said dismissively. 'Let's split up and cover more ground. Just go after _anything _you might think is the wendigo. We'll meet back up in about three hours.'

Sam nodded and hefted his bag to his other shoulder. 'Right. You two be careful,' he said. He looked to Gabriel. 'Well?'

Gabriel sighed. He picked a random direction and led the way. 'For the record, I don't like this plan.'

Dean watched the pair as they disappeared deeper into the forest. He turned his attention to Castiel and stared expectantly.

Castiel sighed and reached out with his senses. There were so many different creatures in the forest, both natural and supernatural. He shook his head.

Dean looked to the sky in frustration. Angels were supposed to _help_ on hunts. _Karen_ was awesome on hunts. She was great at tracking, and she could hold her own in a fight. Why were Gabriel and Castiel so...useless? Sure, Gabriel was powerful, but he used his gifts for goofing off. And Castiel was definitely educated on everything you needed to know for hunting, but, apparently, the angel had absolutely no real world experience.

'I feel something in that direction,' Castiel said as he pointed.

Maybe they weren't so useless after all. 'Great!'

Dean and Castiel found an abandoned campsite. Claw marks, blood, and signs of dragged bodies. A search of the tents revealed that the campers had been Hunters.

'Poor bastards,' Dean mumbled as he tossed an empty box of ammo aside. He heard his name called and turned to face Castiel.

'I...I think it headed north,' Castiel said.

'Why?'

Castiel looked away in embarrassment. 'Because I really don't wanna go north.'

Dean led the way, and he began spotting more and more evidence of a wendigo's presence.

After a short hike, they found themselves standing at the entrance of a partially hidden cave. Dean readied his flare gun and stepped forward.

Castiel grabbed at Dean's sleeve and tugged him back. 'We shouldn't go alone,' he insisted.

Dean gave a wink before shrugging Castiel off. 'We'll be fine.'

.-.-.-.-.

They were not fine.

Dean was bloodied and bruised and huddled against a stalagmite, trying to control his breathing. He had no idea where Castiel was. The cave ended up being a lot deeper than Dean was expecting. There were smaller tunnels that branched off and led to who knows where.

They had gotten separated early on. The system of caves had been playing hell on Castiel's senses, so they had very little warning when the wendigo jumped them.

The wendigo hadn't been expecting one of its prey to puff out a pair of wings, appearing much larger than originally thought. Castiel shouted for Dean to run. Dean didn't think twice.

He banged his head against the stalagmite. He should have grabbed Castiel. He should have attacked the wendigo. He should not have dropped his weapon. All he had on him was his stupid flashlight. He glared at the darkness, contemplating whether or not he should try looking for Castiel.

His decision was made for him when he heard the soft growling of the wendigo. He tightened his grip on the flashlight. Maybe he could blind it then bash its head in. He carefully repositioned himself so that he would be able to bolt past. He aimed his flashlight in what he hoped was the right direction. He let out a breath and flicked the light on.

The wendigo was a lot closer than he was expecting. And getting much closer very fast.

Dean's vision went black, and that was it. It was the end. It had been a good run. Short, but...good. Good enough. Who was he kidding? His life sucked.

The anguished scream drew his attention back to the present. A soft glow silhouetted a pair of wings.

'C-Cas?!'

Castiel looked over his shoulder at Dean. He stepped aside, revealing the dying wendigo.

Dean watched, fascinated, as the monster burned from the inside, out. It scrabbled against the ground and clawed at its own skin, screaming at a high pitch. When the inner light faded, all that was left was a twisted and blackened corpse.

Dean stared at Castiel. 'Um...good job?'

Castiel refused to look at Dean. He could feel the fear and apprehension wafting from the human. He fidgeted with the cuff on his wrist.

.-.-.-.-.

Sam ran after Gabriel. From the angel's expletives and shouts, he gathered that Dean and Castiel were in trouble. He was surprised at how swift and agile Gabriel actually was. He was having trouble keeping up. He refrained from asking Gabriel to slow down, knowing it would only make the angel even more frantic.

Sam lost sight of Gabriel several times and was thankful when they reached their destination. He slowed to a jog as he neared Gabriel. When he stopped, he took in the sight before him.

Dean stood in front of the mouth of a cave, looking inside. Eventually, Castiel appeared and immediately shied away from Dean.

'Cas, are you okay?' Gabriel called out.

Castiel looked up. When he caught sight of Sam, he quickly looked back down.

'Wendigo's dead,' Dean said. He wanted to reassure Castiel that everything was okay, but the angel had managed to avoid any form of physical or verbal comfort. Dean had to be honest with himself, he was completely freaked out. He'd never seen that kind of power. He wanted to know how well Castiel could control it, but was too afraid to ask. What would set Castiel off? How safe were Sam and Bobby? If it came down to it, would the binding cuff prevent Castiel from hurting Dean? There was already _one_ accidental human death under Castiel's belt, and that was what Dean _knew _of. Were there others? Just how many times had Castiel smote something or someone?

Dean watched as Castiel scurried over to Gabriel's side. He could tell there was some sort of silent conversation going on with the way Gabriel's eyes kept flicking between him and Castiel.

He sighed and shoved his hands in his pockets. 'We should get going before it gets too dark,' he said as he walked past Sam.

Sam kept pace with Dean and, in a hushed tone, asked, 'Was it that bad? It couldn't have been worse than Gabriel's first hunt, right?'

Dean contemplated what he should tell Sam. His own reaction was taking its toll on Castiel—he didn't want to add Sam's inevitable freak out to the mix just yet. 'We got separated in there,' Dean replied. 'The wendigo was about to get me, and Cas showed up just in time to save my ass. He did good.'

'Then what's wrong?' Sam pressed, but his question went ignored. He decided it probably had something to do with Castiel's previous attempts at flirting. Dean must have said or done something to scare Castiel off. Sam hoped they would figure out their problems soon. A bound Hunter and angel that didn't get on would only lead to disaster.


	6. Chapter 6

AN: As always, thank you so much for the reviews and faves and follows and whatever else pops up in my mailbox! So…I hope y'all like this chapter.

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Cufflinks  
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Gabriel sat on the edge of the motel bed, staring listlessly at the bathroom door. Castiel had locked himself in the bathroom well over an hour ago under the pretense of grooming his wings. Gabriel wished there was something he could do to help his brother, but there was nothing. He couldn't block Dean's emotions from Castiel, and he had no way of preventing Dean from having them.

After Sam and Dean had left to get dinner, Gabriel had tried to coax Castiel out of the bathroom, but Castiel drowned his voice out with the shower. Castiel had shut him out physically and mentally. The last time Castiel had locked himself away like that, their mother had just died. He had holed up in his room for several days and hadn't spoken for months. Gabriel hoped this bout of depression wouldn't last anywhere near as long.

Gabriel jumped when the front door opened and Sam and Dean entered. He shook his head at Sam's questioning glance.

'Is he taking a shower?' Dean asked.

Gabriel shrugged. 'He's alive. That's all I can tell.'

Dean let out an irritated grunt. He wanted to be patient and wait for Castiel to make the first move to talk. Really, he did. But he wasn't exactly known for his patience. He was worried about the angel. He was also worried about Sam's safety. He desperately wanted Castiel to put his mind at ease. Castiel may have felt like he had all the time in the world to deal with his angst, but Dean didn't. He had already given Castiel several hours of awkward silence and over an hour of alone time with Gabriel. It was more than he usually gave everyone else. Sam had pointed out as much, saying how he was impressed with Dean's generosity and patience. But he had just reached the end of it.

He shoved the food he was carrying at Gabriel and marched up to the bathroom door. He tried the handle, only to find it locked.

'Dean…' Sam winced as Dean banged loudly on the door. He looked helplessly at Gabriel for support, but found none. Gabriel just watched, unimpressed by Dean's display.

'Cas! We need to talk!' Dean shouted. After a moment of silence, he banged on the door again. 'Dammit, Castiel! You let me in this instant!'

When there was no response, Dean figured he would have to break the door down. And then he realized what he had just said. His stomach tightened at the possibilities. Either Castiel was unconscious or…

The lock gave a soft click.

Without looking back, Dean quickly entered the bathroom. The door shut behind him and locked. He found Castiel huddled between the toilet and the bathtub, hugging his knees to his chest and refusing to look up.

Dean was never very good at beating around the bush or being subtle. He had tried that tactic earlier in the cave, and just look where it got him. He should have just confronted Castiel right at the beginning like he had wanted to. But the angel had looked so fragile; Dean didn't want to hurt him. He was over that thought process now. He figured that Castiel had to have some sort of a thick skin if he had Gabriel for a brother. So, he just cut right to the chase.

'How in control are you?' he asked.

Castiel hugged his knees tighter. He wondered if he should have kept the door locked. Kept Dean out. He almost didn't catch the question, but he had felt a slight urging from the cuff. Dean had kept the orders and questions to a minimum so far, and Castiel was beginning to wonder if he would ever feel the pull that Gabriel had described to him. 'I…I don't quite understand what you mean,' he quietly replied.

Dean barely caught the reply over the sound of the shower. 'I mean: Are you gonna accidentally off me and Sam? You said you accidentally killed that one Hunter… Are there more?'

Castiel shook his head.

Dean sighed and crossed his arms. 'Well? Can you control your power or not?'

Castiel shrugged and buried his face in his knees, his shoulders shaking. He _thought_ he was in control of his power. Sure, the occasional light bulb suffered from emotional outbursts, but nothing like the Hunter. There had been other accidents, but nothing human. Nothing that counted. With Dean in the room, he could feel everything the young Hunter felt. All the fear, concern, worry, annoyance, hate, love, everything. He just couldn't tell at who or what they were directed. His mind naturally went to darker places, imagining every dark emotion being meant just for him.

Dean growled in frustration. He sat on the floor in front of Castiel and stared at the angel, wondering what he should do. Castiel looked so broken. It was depressing to see, and he knew he was the cause of it. And he just seemed to be making it worse.

'You are one pathetic-looking, scary-ass, little angel,' he muttered.

Castiel's head shot up, making Dean jump. He stared at Dean in shock. He hadn't been expecting the Hunter to just come right out and say it. It made him feel… a little better. It had clarified the emotion he felt coming from Dean, and he could see just what Dean was afraid of. 'You're…afraid of me,' he stated, almost daring Dean to deny it.

'No shit!' Dean snapped. 'How many angels do you know that can smite something and prance around like nothin' happened?'

Castiel looked confused. 'I…I don't understand… I wasn't…"prancing around." And I don't know of any other angels that would do so after—no, I'm wrong. Gabriel would certainly prance about in celebration.'

Dean's mouth snapped shut. A nervous giggle escaped, and he scratched at the back of his neck. 'No, I mean… You're…fine. It's like you didn't use any energy to smite it. That's…that's not…normal.'

Castiel looked down. 'I'm sorry.'

Dean sighed and placed a hand on Castiel's arm. 'Look, it's not your fault. I'm not mad at you—'

'Yes, you are,' Castiel cut in. He knew Dean was mad at him. Anger, annoyance, irritation…it flared up as he spoke.

Dean's eye twitched. 'I'm mad at you for acting like this and shutting me out. Not for having freaky-ass powers,' he retorted.

The emotions slotted into place for Castiel. He would have spoken to Dean earlier had he known everything would have been this simple. All the knots were slowly unraveling, and he could begin to trace where some of Dean's stronger feelings lead—a great bit of annoyance was set aside just for Gabriel, and there was a strong love for Sam.

'I just…I need to know, Cas,' Dean said and lightly squeezed Castiel's arm. 'I need to know if Sam's gonna be safe around you.'

Castiel stared at Dean's hand. 'I would never hurt your family.'

'Maybe not on purpose, but… What if Sam went crazy or got possessed by a demon or something? And then he went after you. Would you freak out and smite him?'

'I highly doubt Sam would "go crazy," and he needn't worry about being possessed,' Castiel reasoned. 'Gabriel told me about the tattoo.'

'Oh, I'm sure he did,' Dean grumbled. 'It's just a hypothetical question. For whatever reason, me, Sam, Bobby, whoever, corners you and does something to spook you. What do you do?'

Castiel tried to imagine the scenario. It was difficult, but Dean was right. He was a potential threat. If he had a plan for future incidents, then maybe he could avoid having another accident. 'I could put you to sleep,' he suggested and looked hopefully at Dean.

Dean frowned at Castiel. 'You can do that?'

Castiel nodded.

'Then why didn't you—'

'I didn't think to put the Hunter to sleep. I couldn't focus with all the hatred and lies he radiated. But you…you don't feel like that. He was the only human I've felt with such evil thoughts,' Castiel quickly replied.

Dean sighed and leaned back. 'Okay… So you're saying it's not likely to happen unless some major prick grabs you.'

'If he or she takes pleasure in causing others pain, then…yes. I believe that would be an accurate assumption. I…I truly believed I had more control over my capabilities, but… It was an extraordinary circumstance. The likelihood of something similar happening again is quite small,' Castiel said as he shifted his gaze to the floor. He could feel Dean's fear subsiding. It was still there, but not nearly as overpowering as it had been.

'Great. Crisis solved,' Dean said as he stood. He reached over and shut off the shower. 'So, will you come out and have dinner?'

Castiel tugged at his sleeve and nervously bit his lip. 'Um… I still haven't groomed my wings…'

Dean stared down at Castiel. He rolled his eyes and turned towards the door. 'Whatever. Suit yourself.' He stepped forward, but stopped when he felt a tugging at his pant leg. He looked down to see Castiel staring up at him and blushing brightly.

'I…that is… Would you like to help?'

Dean gave Castiel an uncertain look. 'Are you sure? I mean, I don't think now's the best time for that.'

Castiel blinked in confusion. Then his blush deepened as he felt Dean's lust bear down on him. 'Oh! Oh, no! Not that. Gabriel and I have very different definitions. I mean actually grooming. Straightening feathers, cleaning off dirt…that sort of thing,' he hurriedly explained. 'Not that I'm opposed to Gabriel's definition. I would v—I mean! No! I'm good. Thank you.' He buried his face back in his knees and covered his head with his wings. Why couldn't he ever say the right thing? The perfect opportunity to flirt, even with his less than stellar timing, and he went and screwed it up.

His breath caught when he felt Dean's hand softly touch his wing and slowly run down its length. He could feel Dean's want and uncertainty as well as a soft tenderness through the cuff's connection. He cautiously uncovered his head and glanced up at Dean.

Dean brought his hand back up and let it hover over the feathers. 'I have no idea how to do this,' he admitted with a slight grin.

Castiel took Dean's hand in his and scooted out from his hiding place. He brought one of his wings forward and guided Dean's hand through the feathers. 'You just…make them look nice,' he said softly and quickly let go of Dean's hand. He turned so his back was to Dean and spread his wings slightly. 'I'm sure you'll do a good a good job.' He tried to control his breathing as he waited.

Dean stared at the wings, not really sure where to begin or what to do. They looked immaculate. With unkempt hair and a rumpled suit, Dean would have thought Castiel's wings should have been a mess, too. Even with Castiel's wings in pristine condition, Dean didn't want to waste the open invitation.

He lightly stroked the base of a wing and followed the bottom edge, completely mesmerized by how the feathers sprang back into position after he passed over. With both hands, he started at the center of Castiel's back and slowly moved along the ridge of each wing, dragging his fingers and displacing feathers as he went. By the time Dean reached the tips, Castiel was hunched slightly and his breathing was ragged. Dean gave a gentle tug, and Castiel let out a muffled moan.

Dean laced his fingers through the feathers and leaned in. 'Do you want me to stop?' he whispered into Castiel's ear. When Castiel shook his head, Dean softly kissed the side of his neck, pulling out another soft moan.

Castiel was trying desperately to be quiet. He resorted to covering his mouth with a towel to drown out the sounds he was making. Unlike Dean's last exploration of his wings, Castiel felt no guilt or embarrassment through the cuff's link. It was just pure need and want. And every time he made a noise, it would intensify, sending waves a pleasure and anticipation through his body. He gasped as Dean reached under his wing and began stroking the inner side. He leaned back against Dean with a low groan and rested his head on Dean's shoulder.

Dean bit his lip, resisting the urge to let his hands stray from Castiel's wings to the obvious bulge. He had a feeling that he would be able to get Castiel off by stroking his wings alone. He nuzzled against the angel's neck, kissing it before he attacked the ear. He wasn't expecting it when Castiel's hand shot up and gripped at his hair. He slowed his petting as he watched Castiel's other hand attempting to undo his belt. He gave a wicked grin as a thought struck him.

'Castiel?'

'Mmm?'

'I forbid you to touch yourself,' he said as he went back to nibbling at Castiel's ear.

A shiver ran down Castiel's spine as he felt the order settle over him. He really hadn't been expecting it to turn him on as much as it did. But wasn't he supposed to be testing the cuff's power? Did this situation count? His thoughts were derailed as Dean's fingers raked along the space between his wings. Oh, fuck tradition right in the ass. He let Dean's order take over and found that he truly was unable to touch himself. Dean was going to drive him crazy with pleasure and it thrilled him.

Dean gently maneuvered a wing closer and lightly kissed it. At Castiel's needy whine, he nipped at it.

Castiel stiffened in Dean's arms and the lights flickered. He cried out Dean's name as he came.

Dean softly stroked Castiel's hair as the angel collapsed against him, gasping for air. When Castiel had recovered, Dean spoke. 'So. Grooming, huh?'

Castiel angled his head so he could see Dean better and frowned. 'It wasn't supposed to go that way.' He felt a slight twinge of regret from Dean and quickly continued. 'But I liked it! Very much. No regrets.'

Dean smiled and kissed Castiel. 'Good to hear.'


	7. Chapter 7

AN: Please don't hate me.

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Castiel stared blearily at the bathroom wall. The shower was still running, and he was still tucked between the toilet and tub. None of it had been real. All the progress he and Dean had made… Dean thoroughly molesting his wings… Well, the mess in his trousers was real enough. He groaned in frustration and let his head drop back against the wall, momentarily enjoying the pain. He was back to square one.

He could feel Dean's presence in the other room. That was probably why his dream had felt so real. The cuff's connection was stronger the closer Dean was, and the Hunter's emotions were a vibrant, jumbled mess.

Maybe…maybe Castiel's dream wasn't too far off. If it had been completely influenced by the cuff's magic, then he knew just what the problem was and how to solve it. Dean would no longer have to fear him.

Feeling confident over the situation, Castiel stood and quickly tidied himself up. He leaned over and shut off the shower. He could now hear the voices in the main room and how they suddenly stopped.

Castiel sagged in defeat. As much as he would like to, he couldn't hide in the bathroom forever. He stared at the door, listening to the silence. He slowly opened the door and peaked outside. Three pairs of concerned eyes met his. He quickly looked down and shuffled into the main room.

Dean lifted up a paper bag from the burger joint he and Sam had finally settled on. 'I gotcha a cheeseburger and curly fries… Are you…doing better?'

Castiel nodded and took a seat at the small card table. I'm fine,' he insisted. 'Though I _would_ like to speak with you in private later.'

'Sure. Uh…' Dean looked at Sam and raised his brows in question.

'Gabe and I can probably find something to do in town,' Sam offered.

'_Haunted Death Mansion 3_!' Gabriel shouted as he jumped up. At Sam and Dean's blank stares, he explained further, 'It's great! This one, they're basing off of _The Funky Phantom_!'

'The what now?' Dean asked. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught Castiel's horrified expression.

'Trust me, it's awesome. Cas, tell them it's awesome!'

'It's awful!' Castiel looked up at Dean. 'He said the first one was like _Scooby-Doo_,' he explained. 'The characters were similar, true, but then the dog got rabies, killed off half the cast, was thrown in an _oven_, and then the Daphne character slaughtered Shaggy with an axe!'

Dean stared at Castiel, dumbfounded. He looked over to find Sam with a similar look and Gabriel nodding with a manic grin.

'And then Daphne was eaten by Scooby!' Castiel cried as he grabbed Dean's sleeve. 'It was awful! It's a horrid series made of trash!'

'I thought the dog died…,' Sam said.

'He comes back as a zombie!' Gabriel squealed. His wings were shaking with excitement. '_2_ was _Jabberjaw_, _3_ is _The Funky Phantom_, and rumor has it that _4_ is gonna be _Josie and the Pussycats_!'

'I hate to say it, but… I'm actually kind of curious,' Sam said with a shrug.

'Great! I'm ready, let's go!' Gabriel exclaimed as he grabbed Sam's arm and tried pulling him towards the door.

Sam sighed and let himself get pulled along.

'You're gonna love it, Sammy!'

Sam gave Dean one last look over his shoulder. It had taken a lot on his part, but he had finally convinced Dean to wait for Castiel to make the first move. He hoped Dean would be able to keep a cool head while he was gone.

Dean turned to Castiel after the door shut. 'So, what did you wanna talk about?' he asked, scrutinizing Castiel's every move.

Castiel shifted in his seat and looked away. 'I…didn't think we would be having this conversation so soon…,' he softly replied. He bit his lip as he listened to Dean tapping his finger on the table. After a minute of silence, he looked up to find Dean staring at him with an unreadable expression. He tried to figure out what was going on in Dean's head through the link, but he could only pick up on the fear and aggravation. He looked away and began picking at his sleeve. Dean hadn't given him much time to think about how he would approach the matter. He felt Dean's irritation spike.

'What. Did. You. Want. To. Talk. About?' Dean ground out.

Castiel shrank away. 'N-never mind. I think it would be better to speak when you're calmer.' He jumped and his wings flared out when Dean slammed his fist on the table.

'That was a direct question, Castiel! You can't… You _have_ to answer it,' Dean said with a tremor of desperation. 'How many times have you lied to me today?! _How_ are you able to lie?!'

Castiel's stomach clenched, and he grabbed at the silver cuff on his wrist. It was still there, but it brought him little comfort. His eyes flicked up, and he saw Dean's head buried in his hands. 'Dean…?'

'Did I do it wrong?' Dean asked. He looked up at Castiel, radiating complete misery. 'Did I get the spell wrong? Was I supposed to _say_ something?'

Castiel brought his wrist up and examined the cuff's spell work. 'Everything looks correct…'

'If I asked you to dance on the table like a chicken, would you have to do it?'

Castiel shrugged and looked down.

'Castiel, go…stand in the corner,' Dean said, not once taking his eyes off the angel.

Castiel could feel the slight tug of the order, but he ignored it. After a few moments of silence, he met Dean's eyes. He was taken aback by the absolute shock he saw.

'How can you just brush it off like that?!' Dean demanded.

'I—'

'Gabriel got a fuckin' nosebleed when he fought against Sam's question, so why the fuck are _you_ unaffected? Do you feel _anything_?!'

Castiel hugged himself with his wings and ran his fingers over the spells carved into the cuff. Dean was right. He should not have been able to ignore the order. 'I…I felt something, but… I didn't have to obey it. Like a…a nudge.' He sensed the Hunter's fear escalate.

'I would never harm you!' he quickly added, hoping to put Dean's fear to rest. 'The Hunter in the woods was the only accident—light bulbs and windows a-and stuff…they don't count!'

'What?' Dean sat up straight with a confused look. 'What are you on about?'

'You're afraid of me! You're scared of what I can do.'

'Well, yeah! But, right now, I'm scared that I'm gonna lose you!' Dean shouted back.

Castiel sucked in a breath. He wasn't expecting that. 'I…don't want to leave…,' he quietly replied.

'Fine, so you don't leave. You stay. What if someone finds out that you're not exactly bound to me? What then? I don't know if some other Hunter will try his luck, or if I'll be forced to release you,' Dean explained as he took Castiel's hands in his. 'I didn't tell Sam—he just thinks I said something stupid in the cave, but I know I won't be able to keep this from him for much longer. Same with Bobby. He'll pick up on something being wrong.'

'It doesn't have to be wrong,' Castiel replied as he loosened his wings. He offered Dean an uncertain smile. 'I'm just a little different. There's nothing wrong with that, right?'

Dean rolled his eyes and scoffed. 'Little, my ass. Cas, you're _a lot_ different.'

'Is that so bad?'

Dean sighed as he ran his thumbs over Castiel's knuckles. 'I really don't know anymore.'

'So…_are_ you afraid of me?' Castiel hesitantly asked, staring at their hands.

'I dunno,' Dean replied. He was going to pull away, but the angel had laced their fingers together and was gripping tightly. 'Me and Gabe already talked about it, and he seems pretty sure that you won't spaz out and kill everyone. I'm…actually pretty good on that right now,' Dean admitted. 'Probably shouldn't be, but…yeah.'

'Oh…' Castiel thought back to his dream. Was Dean able to pick up on _his_ emotions through the link? 'Um…a little bit before I came out…uh…d-did you…er…' He stuttered to a halt, blushing lightly. What if he was wrong? How could he ask without embarrassing himself? He forced himself to look up at Dean. 'Were you really turned on?' he asked in a rush.

Dean blinked, thrown off by the question. 'Uh…actually…yeah.' He noticed that Castiel's blush brightened. 'Don't tell me you were the cause of that.'

Castiel nodded as he disentangled his hands from Dean's.

Dean opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out. He didn't know what to say in response to the revelation. It wasn't unheard of for a Hunter to catch glimpses of their bound angel's feelings. Bobby and Karen's bond was strong enough for that, but it had developed over time. Years. And what he had felt was much stronger than anything Bobby had described.

Dean took a mental stock of what was going on. He had an angel with black wings. This angel was exceedingly powerful and could easily brush off commands. Dean was already tapped into Castiel's psyche.

As he thought about it, the anxiety he had been feeling since he and Castiel left the cave had all but vanished when he and Sam had left the motel in search of food. And he was feeling it right at that moment. He wasn't actually anxious or nervous. He could see that now. The only thing he could compare it to was food. His own thoughts and feelings were like food he was currently tasting, flooding his senses, and Castiel's were like a fresh pie sitting on the counter. Something that overwhelmed his sense of smell and he could just barely taste through scent alone.

He found that Castiel's own worry and fear were doubling up on his own, making him feel much worse. Now that he could tell the difference, he felt more at ease. Not great but it was a start.

'So… The cuff's working, but it isn't…,' Dean eventually said.

'It would seem so.'

'Any idea _why_?'

'It could be any combination of factors. I…I'm certain I'm a large part of the reason,' Castiel quietly admitted.

'You're implying I'm part of it, too,' Dean pointed out.

'We're bound together, however frail the connection may be…so, of course you have an influence on it.'

'This is so fucked up!' Dean growled into his hands.

'The situation is rather contradictory…'

Dean rested his elbows on his knees and stared at Castiel. The angel stared back miserably. 'So, what do we do?' he asked.

'I don't know. I could ask Gabriel,' Castiel suggested, despite knowing the Hunter's answer.

'I…really don't wanna tell _anyone_.'

Castiel sighed. He straightened up and stretched out his wings. He faltered when he caught Dean's lust spike. Dean must have noticed because he quickly looked away.

Castiel carefully tucked his wings behind him and coughed awkwardly. 'S-someone will eventually notice,' he stuttered.

'Not if you stop lying,' Dean replied. 'And start obeying.'

Castiel ducked his head. 'I don't know if I can promise that.'

Dean huffed in annoyance and looked away. 'Can you at least _try_?' he asked, not bothering to mask his exasperation.

'I-I'll try.'

Both human and angel sat in awkward silence for a long time. Dean relocated to one of the beds and turned on the TV.

Close to midnight, a loud commotion in the hallway alerted them to Sam and Gabriel's return. Sam was the first to enter and looked worse for the wear. Gabriel bounded in after him, chattering excitedly about the advancements in blood effects.

Dean looked up at Sam in concern. 'You all right there, Sammy?'

Sam shook his head. 'I'm gonna have nightmares for the rest of my life.'

'That bad?'

Sam gave Dean a withering look as Gabriel rambled over him.

'It was great! _Better_ that the last two! Combined! Oh, Cas, you shoulda been there! You would have loved it,' Gabriel said as he hurried up to his brother and wrapped an arm around him.

'You know how I feel about those movies,' Castiel replied, a touch more forlornly than he'd meant.

Gabriel gave Castiel a quick once over. 'You two square?'

Castiel nodded. 'We've found a possible solution.'

'Good!' Gabriel replied. 'Glad to hear it.' He searched the younger angel's eyes. He tentatively reached out and felt reassured. Satisfied, he nodded and clapped Castiel on the back. 'Now let's introduce you to a genre if film I _know_ you'll like.'

Castiel reluctantly allowed himself to be led over to the vacant bed.

Dean protectively held the remote. 'I don't know if I quite trust your taste in movies.'

Gabriel grinned. 'C'mon, Dean-o. _Everyone_ likes what I have in mind. You, especially. I'm sure.'

'I have to agree with Dean,' said Sam. 'I mean, that was one fucked up movie…'

'Aww, but the movie I had in mind's got pirates and pretty girls, and an epic battle against skeletons!' Gabriel pouted.

'It _sounds_ interesting,' Castiel said cautiously. The problem with his brother was that you never knew what the end result would be.

Gabriel's grin widened. 'See? Cas is in!'

Dean sighed and looked to Sam with a doubtful expression. 'No, thanks.'

Gabriel ignored Dean and snapped his fingers.

Dean raised his brow at Sam and nodded his head in Gabriel's direction.

Sam crossed his arms and rolled his eyes. Whatever Gabriel had chosen had to be better than the atrocity he had witnessed earlier.

'Oh, my.'

At Castiel's shocked muttering, both Hunters looked at the TV. It was just as Gabriel had promised: pirates and pretty girls. However, he had conveniently forgotten to mention just how horny said pirates and girls were.

Dean pointed the remote at the TV and turned the power off. At least, he tried. Repeatedly. 'Gabriel!'

'Oh, come on! _Cas_ is enjoying it.'

Castiel blushed deeply and tore his eyes from the screen. He had trouble keeping them away, and he could feel Dean's amusement.

Gabriel hopped onto the bed next to Castiel. 'As long as no one whips it out, we can all enjoy this magnificent contribution to porn.'

Sam sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. 'Gabriel…'

Gabriel's attention snapped to Sam. His wings slumped in defeat as he awaited the inevitable command.

Sam watched Gabriel's body language then looked away. 'Never mind,' he said. He headed over to his bag and pulled out a book.

Gabriel blinked in confusion at the dismissal. He frowned as he watched Sam take a seat at the card table and begin to read. At first, he wondered why Sam had chosen to ignore him. Then he realized, Sam was giving him a choice. Probably trusting or hoping that he would make the 'right' one.

Gabriel sighed and snapped his fingers, returning control of the television to Dean.

'Thank you,' Castiel whispered.

'Don't think you're getting off that easy,' Gabriel warned. 'I fully intend to corrupt you.'

Castiel bowed his head and frowned. He didn't think he needed to be corrupted. And certainly not by his brother. He returned his attention back to the TV, fully prepared to have everything fly right over his head. Next time, he was going to bring a book. If there _was_ a next time.

'Really, Dean?' Gabriel teased and waved a hand at the TV. 'This shit is _barely_ a step above porn!'

'Don't compare _Dr. Sexy_ to your trash!' Dean shot back.

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Dean awoke with a crick in his neck. He found that Sam was already up and ready to go, so he set to waking up the pair of angels. He hated to admit it, but Gabriel actually looked innocent curled up with Castiel.

It took a while, but, with Sam's help, Dean finally managed to get the angels up and into the back of the Impala. It was slow going, but at least there was very little complaint or argument.

'Hey! Why are you two so out of it?' Dean asked after they had been on the road for about an hour.

'_Looney Tunes_,' Gabriel replied.

'And _Merrie Melodies_,' Castiel helpfully added through a yawn.

'You stayed up all night watching cartoons?' Sam asked.

'Of course!' Gabriel shifted in his seat and pulled Castiel towards him

Sam watched the two angels wordlessly arrange themselves so that they were perfectly balanced against each other. Gabriel's head lay on Castiel's shoulder, who in turn had his cheek and nose buried in the blond's hair.

The sight made Sam a little jealous. He was jealous of Castiel, being able to snuggle up to Gabriel, and he was jealous of the brothers in general. It had been years since he and Dean would have been found in a similar position. Anymore, Dean referred to any form of affection as a 'chick flick moment,' and shied away.

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It was early evening when they arrived back at the Singer house. Dean grunted as he hefted one of the duffels over his shoulder. He was about to head for the front door, but was stopped by a hand at his elbow. He looked behind himself to find Castiel staring warily at the house.

'Somethin' wrong?'

Sam and Gabriel stopped on the porch steps and turned to look at Castiel. Gabriel caught his brother's stare and immediately jumped down from the porch. A quick beat of his wings softened his landing, and he ran to join Castiel behind Dean.

Sam watched the display, just as bewildered as Dean. The door opened and Sam turned back to face an older angel with pale brown wings. The angel grinned at him before searching out Castiel and Gabriel.

'Cassie! Gabey! No hugs?'


	8. Chapter 8

AN: Shorter chapter. Thank you for reading! I'm trying to divide my time evenly between this, Waiting for Salvation, and Fire Exit. Much fun… Let's see how long I'll be able to do that!

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'Hello, Balthazar,' Castiel politely greeted, not moving from behind Dean.

'Why the fuck are _you_ here?!' Gabriel cried out over his brother.

'I volunteered,' Balthazar cockily replied. 'Turns out the hazard pay is rather good.'

Dean looked from the new angel to Castiel in confusion. 'What's he talkin' about?' he asked, jabbing a thumb in Balthazar's direction.

Castiel would have ignored the question, but he recalled his conversation with Dean from the previous night. That, and Balthazar was watching him. Closely. 'He… I believe he is here in the capacity of body guard,' he replied.

'Huh?'

'Father is worried about our safety.'

'Don't trust him!' Gabriel warned Dean. 'He'll kidnap us and steal your kidneys!'

'That was _one_ time!' Balthazar shot back with a good-natured grin.

Dean could feel an uneasiness washing over him, and immediately pinpointed Castiel as the source. He stepped back and wrapped an arm around Castiel's shoulders. He saw Balthazar raise a brow at Castiel and felt a jolt of smug triumph that wasn't his. He would have to remember to ask Castiel about what was going on later.

'So…' Balthazar looked between Dean and Castiel. 'My advice worked, huh?'

'_You're_ advice was a complete failure,' Castiel tersely replied.

'What advice?' Dean asked, looking down at Castiel.

Castiel bit his lip and made a show of fingering the silver cuff he wore. He didn't want to say anything, but he was willing to embarrass himself for the sake of making it appear that he was properly bound to Dean. 'I…asked for advice on…flirting,' he quietly replied. He looked up at Dean pleadingly. 'Can we discuss this later?'

Dean nodded. With a sigh, he ushered Castiel up to the house, Gabriel close on their heels. The moment they reached the porch, Gabriel latched onto Sam and glared at Balthazar.

'C'mon, Gabey,' Balthazar said with open arms. 'I'm here to help.'

'We don't need your help,' Gabriel spat out. He tightened his grip on Sam and pushed their way into the house. Sam shot Dean a worried look as he was dragged out of sight.

'Please forgive Gabriel's behavior,' Castiel said. It was his automatic response for when his brother turned to rudeness around other angels. He looked up at Balthazar. 'But, I do agree with him. Your help is neither needed nor wanted. We're not helpless. _I'm_ not helpless.'

Balthazar let out a laugh. 'Sure, you're not. You're fantastic at keeping dust bunnies off the couch,' he said as he ruffled Castiel's hair. He turned away and entered the house, leaving Dean and Castiel alone on the porch.

Dean couldn't tell who was more irritated: him or Castiel. He hadn't realized how tightly he was holding Castiel until the angel patted his hand. 'Oh, er… Sorry.'

Castiel shook his head. 'It's all right,' he said quietly. 'I'm all right.'

Dean gave Castiel one last squeeze, reveling in the flare of happiness he felt, before he headed inside.

Castiel stood on the porch for a few minutes, examining his surroundings. Everything looked fine. He stepped through the doorway and frowned. Everything _looked_ fine. He was about to head in Dean's direction when he felt a flicker of emotion through the cuff's connection. He stiffened and began breathing heavily. His father really was on top of things, sending _her_. He rushed to the kitchen in time to see the pretty redhead approach _his_ Hunter.

Dean had a slightly goofy smile as he spoke to her. Castiel panicked. He needed to get Dean's attention, and quick, so he thought of something that would be sure to work. He threw everything he had into the link he shared with Dean and was rewarded.

Dean had been having a nice conversation with the pretty Hunter, Anna. She was smart, funny, and pretty. A little older than he was, but so what? She was gorgeous. As she drew closer, giving him a friendly smile, he was suddenly hit with an image of himself holding Castiel up against a shower wall, pale legs wrapped around his waist, fingers buried deep in black feathers, and fucking the angel's brains out. He blinked and the image was gone. He wanted more. And just where _was_ Castiel? He looked over his shoulder, not catching the frown that crossed Anna's face, and found Castiel standing awkwardly in the doorframe, a light blush creeping over his cheeks.

Castiel averted his eyes and hurriedly walked up to Dean. He hesitantly linked his arm through Dean's before raising his eyes to meet Anna's. 'Please stop,' he said softly.

'Oh, Cas,' Anna said with a patronizing tone. 'I'm just introducing myself to Dean. Can't one Hunter talk to another without their angels getting jealous?' She smiled kindly at Castiel and turned her attention back to Dean. 'So, as I was saying—'

The moment Castiel felt Dean's thoughts slip back to focus solely on Anna, his wings flapped out aggressively. 'I asked you politely.'

Anna eyed Castiel, figuring out the best course of action. 'Castiel, I'm not a threat,' she said calmly, projecting a sense of serenity at Castiel. 'Everything's going to be fine.'

Castiel took a quick look around the kitchen. Sam and Gabriel were nowhere to be seen—more than likely, Gabriel had escorted Sam well out of Anna's range. Bobby sat the table across from Balthazar, both watching with interest. Karen was stirring a sauce, staring at the wall with a look of mild confusion. And Dean was back to staring at Anna. No one would defend him.

It was just like home. Gabriel off somewhere else, and everyone ignoring him or telling him everything was _fine_. He didn't leave just for it all to follow him. He wasn't stupid. He wasn't fragile. _Dean_ knew that. Dean didn't treat him like a little kid. Dean paid attention to him. Dean listened to him. Dean liked him. And Anna was trying to take that away. If Anna wanted to take what was important to him away, he'd take away what was important to her.

Castiel glared at Anna as he laced his fingers tightly through Dean's. 'Everything _will_ be fine once you stop manipulating _my_ Hunter, you amputated _freak_!' he yelled. He took a breath and readied himself for what was to come with his next outburst. 'What sort of angel cuts off their own wings?!'

Dean had only been vaguely aware of his surroundings, but everything came crashing back with a loud crack. 'You're an _angel_?' he said, blinking out of his daze. When he looked around, he found Anna, seething, with her hand raised, and Castiel blinking away tears.

'How _dare_ you?!' Anna hissed. '_Me_? A _freak_? You're one to talk, Charbroiled.'

Castiel flinched and looked at the floor.

'What I did isn't uncommon. Plenty of angels have cut their wings to live a normal life, and you know it. But _you_? You keep parading around with those disgusting, black _things_ on your back,' Anna said lowly as she got closer to Castiel.

Castiel leaned back and had to let go of Dean to avoid Anna's looming presence. His wings were folded tightly against his back, as if he could hide them.

'You are aware that's the only reason he likes you, right? Humans _like_ things that are different. They like their _pets_ with a _handicap_,' Anna continued. 'You've been out in public, right? Your first little Hunt? You're not normal, and even the humans know it. I bet they stared and wondered what was wrong with you. Did they ask? Or were they too polite to say anything? Was it open staring, or did they look away when you caught them?'

Castiel's heart was beating wildly. He couldn't focus. Everything was closing in on him and growing dim. The lights in the kitchen shattered, and he bolted.

'Cas!' Dean made to follow, but a hand on his arm stopped him. He looked back at Anna and sent her a glare.

'I'm sorry,' she said.

'Don't tell _me_ that,' Dean bit out.

Anna sighed. 'I didn't know he was that attached to you,' she admitted. 'And…he knows just what to say to piss me off.'

'And _you_ know what to say to piss _him_ off.'

Anna nodded. 'We make each other…uncomfortable. I didn't _want_ to come here, but I was the only option.'

'What do you mean?' Bobby asked.

'Anna's the only angel we got that lopped off her wings,' Balthazar answered. 'Coulda sent me and a human, but if things got too hairy, well, human's not much good against the supernatural. No offense.'

Bobby grunted in reply.

'I can masquerade as a human,' Anna elaborated. 'Balthazar wears a false cuff, and we go out as Hunter and angel.'

'I _thought_ I felt another angel somewhere,' Karen said. She looked over Anna with sad eyes. 'Did it hurt?'

Anna met Karen's eyes and quickly looked away. 'Yes. But it was worth it. I needed to hide. And hiding among humans is a lot easier if you _look_ human.'

'Hiding from what?' Dean asked.

'It doesn't concern you.'

'Like hell it doesn't! You guys are supposed to be here for Cas and Gabe's protection, but you're hiding from something?! _And_ you go around _insulting_ Cas? Some body guard,' Dean shouted.

'Protection _and_ convincing them to leave,' Anna calmly replied. She tried placing her calming energies on Dean again, but the young Hunter was still livid. She tilted her head slightly. 'You really do like him.'

'W-what?' Dean stuttered, not sure what to make of the change in subject.

'I've been trying to calm you since Castiel left, but you're still angry.'

'No shit!' Dean rolled his eyes and left the kitchen, hoping to find Castiel soon.

'Oh! You project emotion,' Karen exclaimed delightfully. 'I slice.'

Anna stared blankly at Karen. '…Slice? Slice what?'

Karen smiled warmly and raised both hands. Delicate, silver blades materialized. 'Everything,' she replied. 'I also slice a mean turkey.'

Bobby let out a gruff laugh. 'You _sliced_ a mean turkey,' he said. 'Never thought a turkey could get possessed.'

Anna and Balthazar exchanged confused looks.

'Slice and dice, huh?' Balthazar commented. 'Remind me not to get on your bad side.'

Karen let the blades vanish. 'Good choice.' She looked back at Anna. 'And that was your one warning, dear.'

Anna blinked in confusion. 'Warning? For what?'

'You will not push your fake emotions on anyone living under this roof. You will not try to sabotage any relationships that may be occurring under this roof. You are here as a body guard, not a babysitter. You will protect. You will not impose rules or restrictions. Castiel's wings may be an unfortunate color, but he has been nothing but polite and kind. Even helped with cleaning up without bein' asked. So, if I see that poor boy in tears again, and you're to blame… Well, let's just say you'll be wishin' you had wings for me to cut off.'

Karen's warm smile never left as she spoke, which only served to disturb Anna even more.

'Spaghetti?' Karen offered a plate to Anna.

Anna stared at the plate uncertainly.


	9. Chapter 9

AN: I don't recall if I mentioned it within the fic or just on my random rambling with the original idea, but…the cuffs? They're like slap bracelets. Essentially flat, then they get slapped on the wrist and curl around. Anyway! Thank you for reading and following and sticking with me! And I apologize ahead of time if it takes me a while to update. Major project coming up, so after early December, I will have no excuse.

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Gabriel paced back and forth in Sam's bedroom. 'Sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry,' he chanted as his wings flicked out in distress.

'Gabriel, what's going on?' Sam asked.

Gabriel violently shook his head. 'Dad sent them. They're here to take us away. Anyone else, and I'd say they really were here as protection, but _them_? Hah!'

'They can't just take you away. You have to be released, and, well…' Sam sat on the bed and gave Gabriel a worried look. 'Do you_ want_ to be released?'

Gabriel spun and faced Sam with wide eyes. 'Y-you'd do that? Let me go? Just like that?'

'Well… If that's what you want.'

Gabriel stared at Sam, stunned.

'Do you…want me to break the link?'

The answer came out before Gabriel could stop it. 'No.' He blushed and looked away. 'I mean… I like it here. I like _you_. If you asked me last week, then…yeah, but you've kinda grown on me, Sammy,' he said with a lop-sided grin. 'I've had flings, but nothing's ever felt like this. I dunno if it's the cuff, but I feel safe with you. Hell, maybe I actually love you.'

Sam's breath caught. 'O-oh.'

Gabriel sat on the floor in front of Sam and hugged the Hunter's legs. 'I don't wanna leave. Please don't make us leave!' he begged.

Sam reached down and petted Gabriel's wings, earning a soft moan. 'It'll all work out. I won't let them take you. And Dean's stubborn and head over heels for Cas.'

Gabriel looked up at Sam with a doubtful look. 'Just 'cuz Cas has a crush on your stupid brother, doesn't mean you have to…to reassure me of their so-called relationship.'

Sam laughed. 'Dean falls fast and hard,' he replied as his fingers dug deeper into the golden feathers.

Gabriel laid his head on Sam's lap. 'They haven't even known each other for a week, and Cas is already…ugh. The shit going on his head? Be glad you have no telepathic connection to _your_ brother.'

'It can't be _that_ bad,' Sam pointed out, 'with how sheltered he is.'

Gabriel raised his head to glare up at Sam. 'Just because he hasn't been out much, doesn't mean he has no libido and no imagination. Who do you think suggested we run away? It wasn't me. I…I was all for him being locked away. He was happy enough watching stupid cartoons on the couch all day.'

'So what made him want to leave?' Sam asked.

Gabriel shrugged. 'I'm not sure. Maybe he got bored.' He paused and picked at a piece of lint on Sam's knee. 'About six months ago, he asked me to help him leave. He already had it all planned out. He could have left on his own if he really wanted, but he wanted me to come along. He…he made sure I knew all the risks of running away. _Me_. He wanted _me_ to know there'd be a chance of getting bound to a Hunter if we were discovered.'

Gabriel let out a mournful laugh. 'So, of course I went with him. He's my baby brother. He'll always be my baby brother… I'm supposed to protect him. Keep him safe.'

Sam stroked Gabriel's cheek and gave the angel a small smile. 'Dean's the same way with me. Even though I can take care of myself just fine, he'll still play the part of the over-protective big brother.'

'But you're not a time bomb waiting to go off,' Gabriel muttered. He stiffened when he realized he had said it aloud.

'Time bomb? Gabe, what do you mean?' Sam frowned at Gabriel, who was avoiding eye contact. 'Gabriel? Tell me what you mean by that.'

Gabriel's breathing quickened and he scooted away from Sam, but the Hunter grabbed his wrists and kept him in place. The command rang through his core, and he bit his tongue.

'Gabriel, I order you to tell me what you mean by "time bomb"!'

Gabriel let out a sob as pain ran down his spine. He could feel the blood dripping down his chin, and his vision was blurring. If he could fight it just a little longer, maybe he would pass out from the pain. A hand guided his chin so that he faced Sam. He saw moving lips, but couldn't hear what was being said. But he did feel another jolt from the cuff. He clamped his eyes shut, and trembled in Sam's hold. He opened his mouth to beg the Hunter to stop, but what came out was far from a plea.

'He can't control it! He thinks he can, but he can't!' Gabriel tried to stop the confession, but it was too late. Everything came tumbling out, and he was helpless to stop it. 'The Hunter in the forest wasn't the only accident. There were others. Not human, but they weren't supposed to die! Dad doesn't just employ humans and angels. He's got demons and vampires and werewolves, and, and everything! If one of them got too close to Castiel and made him uncomfortable, he'd smite them! He was cornered by three monsters once, teasing him about his wings, and he smote them all. That wendigo was probably the only one he _meant_ to smite.'

Gabriel cringed away at Sam's shocked expression as he continued. 'Everything fragile always has to be replaced because of him. Whenever he gets emotional, things start exploding and flying across the room. Dad says he has him locked away for his own protection, but it's also for everyone else. No one's supposed to know how much damage he can cause. If they knew, they'd kill him or use him!'

Gabriel gasped and sagged as the cuff's spell ended. He wrapped his wings tightly around himself as he cried into his hands. 'Don't tell anyone. Please don't tell anyone!' he begged. 'Don't let them kill him. Don't let them take him from me! He's all I have left!'

Sam stared down at the broken angel. Castiel could smite three supernatural beings at once. It was unheard of. And he did on _accident_? Sam slid to the floor in silence and watched Gabriel cry. What should he do? Castiel was an obvious threat. He ran a hand over his face.

The lights flickered. Sam frowned as Gabriel's sobs ceased. 'Gabriel?'

'It's Cas,' Gabriel weakly replied. 'Nothing big…just a couple light bulbs. Anna probably said something. She's good at that.' He looked up at Sam uncertainly.

'Are…are you gonna turn us over to them?' he quietly asked.

Sam sighed and leaned back against the bed. 'I probably should,' he admitted.

Gabriel buried himself in his wings as his sobs renewed. He didn't want to leave. He wanted to stay. He wanted his brother to have his freedom. Even if Castiel was bound to a Hunter, it was better than the gilded cage he'd been raised in. He looked up in shock when he felt Sam's hand gently caressing a wing.

Sam smiled reassuringly at Gabriel. 'I probably should just let them take you back,' he said, 'but I don't want to. I won't let them take you. And we should definitely talk to Dean about Castiel. He deserves to know.'

'He already knows what Cas is capable of,' Gabriel replied. 'Cas told me last night. Dean doesn't know the whole story, but Cas says they're on good terms again.'

Sam nodded. There was a knock at the door. Gabriel beat him to a reply.

'It's safe.'

The door opened to reveal Dean, warily eyeing the two and their positions on the floor. His eyes lingered on Gabriel, taking in the bloodied nose and tear-stained cheeks. 'Uh…I'm looking for Cas…'

Gabriel took a calming breath and reached out to his brother. 'Basement. Panic room.'

'Thanks… Er, are you all right?' Dean asked.

Gabriel nodded. He gave Sam a quick glance. 'When you find him…ask him about how many _monsters_ he's accidently killed.'

Dean narrowed his eyes at the small angel. 'What do you mean?'

When Gabriel refused to answer, Sam spoke up. 'Castiel can smite monsters with no problem.'

'Yeah, I know,' Dean carefully said. 'So?'

'So… Gabriel says Castiel killed three. One right after the other. On accident.'

Dean stiffened. 'W-what?'

'Dean—' Before Sam could say anything else, Dean was gone. He sighed hopelessly and looked to Gabriel. 'I'm sure it'll all work out,' he said and wrapped his arms around the angel.

Gabriel stared at the floor and let himself be pulled into Sam's arms. He clung tightly to Sam, reminding himself that he was still there. He wasn't gone. Not yet.

.-.-.-.-.

Dean found Castiel huddled behind the cot in the panic room. He carefully approached the shivering angel and noticed how Castiel's shivers were becoming more violent with each step. He could feel a deep self-loathing and fear gaining in strength as well. He took a deep breath and quickly closed the distance between them. He knelt in front of Castiel and reached out, noticing how the angel cringed away before he even touched him.

'Cas…'

'Just…just release me and be done with it,' Castiel mumbled, not bothering to look at Dean.

Dean looked away and sighed. 'Cas, we can talk about this,' he insisted. He wasn't sure just what they could talk about, but he refused to lose his angel.

'There's nothing to talk about. I know what this is about. Gabriel gave me warning.'

'Then…we work on getting your power under control.'

'It doesn't work like that,' Castiel insisted. 'It's a reaction. What will you do? Have me go up to every evil creature until I don't kill them on instinct? I think I can handle humans, but nonhuman?'

Dean rolled his eyes. 'No, but I'm sure we can figure something out.'

'No, we can't,' Castiel replied miserably. 'If I can't control it now, I won't ever be able to control it. What do you think I've spent my life doing?'

'Well… Here, how's about you tell me just why you said the Hunter was the only accident?' Dean asked.

'He was human. Supernatural creatures aren't important,' Castiel explained. 'They don't count. They're expendable. Like light bulbs. There's always another handful waiting around the corner.'

'Expendable? Cas—'

'Stop it. Just release me. Let me go back to my father. Everyone would be much happier.' Castiel twisted the cuff on his wrist. He pulled his wings more tightly about himself. He didn't want to go, but he had to. He was a threat to Dean and everyone Dean loved. He knew it. Why was he trying to kid himself that he could live like a normal angel? He truly believed he could control his power around humans, but other creatures? The ones that had no redeeming quality, no soul? That, he definitely couldn't help. He even tried to control it on occasion—at the cost of a few of his father's employees.

'And what about you? Huh? Would _you_ be happier? Up until five minutes ago, you wanted nothin' to do with those two,' Dean pointed out. 'Just 'cuz you're getting whatever sort of vibes off of me, don't mean you know what I'm thinkin'.'

'Dammit, Dean! I'm a threat to you and your family!' Castiel shouted. 'Release me!'

Dean let out an irritated huff. 'I'm not gonna release you, Cas. You're _my_ angel. I caught you fair 'n' square, so quit askin'.'

'Then I'll do it myself!' Castiel pulled the cuff off his wrist and threw it across the room.

Dean could have sworn his heart stopped. He stared, unseeing, as he listened to the sound of thin metal clattering against the floor. He was vaguely aware of Castiel standing and walking around him.

'I'm going to go now. It was nice while it lasted, Dean. But…you don't deserve this. You don't deserve the trouble I'd bring,' he said quietly. He made his way to the door and had the wind knocked out of him when he was shoved against the wall and forcibly spun around. 'W-wha—?!'

Dean cupped Castiel's face in his hands. 'No! You don't get to do that! Not…not for those reasons!'

With Dean touching him, Castiel could feel the desperation and loss coming from the Hunter. The willingness to make everything work. He tried to shut it out, to not be swayed by what he was feeling. 'Please let go,' he whispered.

'One week. You haven't been here that long. Just give me one week to figure something out,' Dean pleaded.

Castiel squeezed his eyes shut and could feel tears streaming down his cheeks. 'I can't.'

'One week. If I can't do it, you're free to go.'

'Dean—' Castiel was cut off by a pair of soft lips pressing against his. He tried not to melt into the kiss, but it was a hopeless battle. He brought his arms up and linked them around Dean's neck as he deepened the kiss. He moaned in loss when Dean pulled back.

Dean gave Castiel a worried look. 'One week?'

Castiel bit his lip and looked away. His eyes fell on the discarded cuff, and his stomach dropped. 'It doesn't matter. The cuff doesn't work. You have no protection from me,' he stated matter-of-factly.

'That's not true,' Dean argued. 'It works. Maybe not that great, but it works. I'll figure it out. Just give me one week. That's all I'm asking for.' He gave Castiel a light kiss. 'Please?'

Castiel reluctantly nodded.


	10. Chapter 10

AN: Thank you so much for all the reviews and favorites and follows!

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For two days, Dean spent all of his spare time tearing through old books and researching online. Occasionally, Castiel would sit nearby, watching in silence. Dean would grab Castiel's wrist and examine the spellwork on the cuff. Each time, the contact would send a small thrill through Castiel, and Dean would feel it as well. But Dean couldn't linger on the feeling, he _needed_ to fix the cuff. After he fixed it, well…after was something else altogether.

Dean was beginning to feel like an expert on how the binding cuffs worked. A modified trapping spell for angels, a compulsion spell… Maybe he could change the spell around. Add something to it.

He was currently going from site to site trying to find alterations to the binding spell. Nothing was coming up. He sighed and leaned back as he rubbed his eyes. Next to the keyboard sat a plate of food. Chicken, salad, and a small slice of pie. When had that appeared? Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Castiel on the floor, asleep against the computer desk. He smiled at Castiel and reached down to run a hand through the angel's hair. 'Thanks, Cas.'

Castiel mumbled in his sleep and repositioned his wings.

Dean munched on the food as he began a new search. He decided to focus on the evolution of the spell. At least that turned up results—mostly museum pieces of ancient binding cuffs.

'Mm…Dean?' Castiel yawned and stretched his wings out, staring up at Dean.

'Yeah…?' Dean replied distractedly.

'How are you feeling?' Castiel stood, slightly wobbly from sleeping on the floor.

'Good…'

Castiel glanced at the clock on the wall. 'Dean, it's four in the morning.'

Dean sighed and looked at Castiel. 'I have to fix this.'

Castiel took Dean's hand off the mouse and held it. 'You need sleep,' he insisted. 'You can continue your search in the morning.'

Dean shook his head. 'No, I can't! We have a Hunt to go on in the morning!'

'Please, Dean.'

Dean could feel Castiel's worry for him. He looked back at the computer and bookmarked all of his open windows and tabs. He pushed away from the desk and stood. 'Fine.'

Dean opened the door to his room. Castiel wished him goodnight and kept heading down the hallway. 'Cas?'

Castiel stopped and looked back at Dean. 'Yes?'

'Where are you going?'

Castiel turned and faced Dean completely. 'To the panic room,' he replied. 'It's where I've been sleeping…'

Dean's brows rose. 'What? I thought… I thought you were sleeping on my bed or something.'

Castiel shook his head. 'I didn't wish to intrude.'

'Well…' Dean bit his lip and looked into his room. 'You can sleep in here…if you want.'

Castiel frowned. 'Then where will _you_ sleep?' he asked.

'Well…we can sleep together,' Dean offered. 'Please?'

Castiel blushed and looked away. He wanted to. He wanted to sleep, wrapped tightly in Dean's arms. To let Dean hold him and whisper away any doubts he had. He swallowed as Dean approached him. 'I…'

Dean lifted Castiel's chin and stared into his eyes. 'I want you to stay the night with me,' he said softly.

'It's morning,' Castiel said, his eyes darting from Dean's eyes to his lips.

Dean gave a small smile and leaned down. He kissed Castiel lightly.

Castiel closed his eyes and tried to deepen the kiss, but Dean moved away. He sighed before opening his eyes. 'Alright,' he agreed and followed Dean.

.-.-.-.-.

Castiel awoke to strong arms wrapped around him and fingers laced through his feathers. He sighed happily. He was so comfortable. He breathed deeply, taking in Dean's scent. His nose wrinkled. Dean needed a shower. He was beginning to smell stale.

Castiel shifted his wings, and Dean pulled him more tightly against his chest. Castiel's heart sped up. He slowly brought his hands up between them and rested them on Dean's bare chest. Dean didn't wake up, so Castiel gently pressed his lips against Dean's chest. He felt a pang of regret. Dean was quickly running out of time. They had agreed to a week. It was already the third day, and Dean had made no progress. He had no idea of what to do. How could he help Dean? _Should_ he help Dean? He blinked away tears as he carefully extracted himself from Dean's hold.

Dean grunted and shifted into a new position.

Castiel looked away as he summoned his clothing. He left the room and headed downstairs. He reached the kitchen and looked around in confusion. Sam and Gabriel sat at the table, eating cereal, Bobby was reading the newspaper, and Karen was humming as she placed fresh flowers in a vase. Balthazar and Anna were nowhere to be seen. He cast his senses out, but felt no trace of them. He looked to Gabriel for answers.

Gabriel shoved another spoonful of cereal into his mouth before answering Castiel's silent question. 'They left super early and took over our Hunt,' he replied. He swallowed and grinned at Castiel. 'Something about keeping us out of trouble.'

Castiel nodded and sat at the table, and large bowl of cereal was set before him, and he looked up to see Karen's smiling face.

'You've been doing such a good job makin' sure Dean gets fed, that you've completely forgotten about yourself,' she said. She leaned down and kissed the top of Castiel's head. 'So eat up.'

'T-thank you…'

'What is that boy up to, anyway?' Bobby asked, setting the paper down.

Castiel stared at his bowl, not sure what to say.

'I'm tryin' to figure out how these damned cuffs work,' Dean replied from the doorway. 'Because _someone_ is leaking thoughts into my head.'

Karen stared at Dean. 'Already? But…that takes years to develop!'

'Tell _him_ that,' Dean said as he jabbed a finger in Castiel's direction.

Castiel blushed as all attention was directed at him. 'I'm sorry…'

Castiel excused himself and hid in the panic room.

.-.-.-.-.

Balthazar and Anna returned that afternoon. Balthazar headed to the panic room, and Anna eventually made her way to Dean.

'Whatcha hidin' down here for?' Balthazar asked as he sat next to Castiel on the cot.

Castiel didn't look up from the book his was reading. He sighed and turned to the next page. 'Reading.'

'There's more light upstairs.'

'I'm fine, thank you.'

'So… You and Dean, huh?' Balthazar grinned at the light blush forming on Castiel's cheeks. 'Do anything fun yet?'

Castiel stared ahead. 'I-I'd rather not talk about it.'

'C'mon, Cas,' Balthazar coaxed. 'We're friends. You can tell me all about it.'

Castiel shut his book and stared at his lap. 'I considered you a friend back home… I…didn't have many options for friends.' He looked up at Balthazar. 'But now… If you truly are my friend, you would leave.'

Balthazar laughed and wrapped an arm around Castiel's shoulders. 'Now, you know I can't do that! Orders and all that.'

Castiel nodded in understanding.

'So tell me about Dean.'

'He's nice.'

'Nice…,' Balthazar blandly repeated. 'Not cute? Hot? Sexy?'

Castiel blushed more deeply. 'Er, well… Yes. I mean… I-it's more than that… His soul is pure.'

'His soul?'

Castiel smiled and nodded. 'Dean is so pure and brave, and he likes me.'

'I'm sure he tells you that all the time,' Balthazar said.

Castiel looked back down. 'No. But I can feel it.'

'Through the link?' Balthazar asked distractedly.

Castiel nodded.

'About that… How is the cuff working out for you?'

Castiel's breath caught. 'Fine.'

'Then why is Dean researching binding cuffs like his life depends on it?' Balthazar asked in a knowing tone.

Castiel's grip on his book tightened and his knuckles turned white. 'He…he can feel my thoughts and emotions,' he replied. 'Normally, that takes a lot of time…'

Balthazar raised a brow at Castiel as he tilted his head. 'Then why focus on the compulsion and binding spells?'

Castiel began to shake and the lights flickered.

'Cas, I'm concerned for you,' Balthazar said softly. 'You can talk to me.'

Castiel shook his head. 'Everything's fine,' he insisted.

Balthazar reached over and touched Castiel's cuff. 'He doesn't know, does he?'

'Leave me alone!' Castiel shouted, sending out a burst of energy.

Balthazar was thrown against the wall as all the lights and windows in the house burst.

Castiel fled the panic room and ran out to the junkyard.

Balthazar stood and rubbed his elbow. He didn't really like having to corner and torment Castiel like he had, but Anna was calling the shots, and she could be downright scary if she wanted.

.-.-.-.-.

Anna looked over Dean's shoulder at the computer screen. 'What are you looking for?'

Dean jumped in surprise. 'Um… It's not important.'

Anna gave him a doubtful stare. 'Are you experiencing trouble with the binding cuff?' she asked.

Dean glared at her. 'No. Exact opposite, really.'

Anna raised her brows in surprise. 'Really?'

'Yeah,' Dean replied. 'We got that telepathic link going on.'

'That must be nice,' Anna said. At Dean's scoff, she went on. 'I've never experienced it myself, but I've heard that it is one of the most satisfying connections an angel can make with another being.'

Dean nodded, not quite trusting Anna. 'Okay.'

The lights and computer screen began to flicker.

'What…?' Dean glanced around then covered his head with his arms as the bulbs broke and the window shattered. 'What the fuck?!'

Anna seemed unaffected as she shook her head in dismay. 'Castiel…'

Dean turned to the computer to find it off. He powered it on, and sighed in relief as it came to life. The screen blinked at him, alerting him that it experienced a fatal error. 'Sammy!'

Sam entered the room, looking around in confusion. 'What was _that_?'

'Sammy, fix it!' Dean exclaimed as he dragged Sam into the room and forced him in front of the computer.

'What?'

'Fix it!'

Sam looked at the screen. 'Uh…I can make it work, but…it looks like you've lost everything…'

'Is something wrong?' Anna asked. 'Is there anything I can do to help?'

Dean glared at her. 'No!' He shouted before leaving to find Castiel. He felt like he was on the verge of making a breakthrough. He should have written everything down.

.-.-.-.-.

Dean finally found Castiel hiding out in one of the far corners of the junkyard. He was sitting in the passenger seat of an old junker that rested on top of several other cars. Dean carefully climbed up the pile of rusted metal and pulled open the door.

Castiel glanced at Dean and looked away. 'How…how much damage did I cause?' he asked.

Dean got into the car and stared at Castiel. 'Enough,' he replied.

Castiel pulled his knees to his chest and hugged them tight. 'Do Bobby and Karen hate me?'

Dean shook his head.

'You're mad at me,' Castiel said quietly.

'Yeah, you fried the computer,' Dean replied.

Castiel turned to look at Dean in confusion. 'The computer?'

Dean sighed as he leaned back. 'Was it…was it on purpose?' he asked. 'I mean…you didn't sabotage my research, did you?'

'No…I became upset. I lost control,' Castiel carefully replied. 'I'm sorry.'

Dean looked out the window and ran his hand along the worn steering wheel. 'It's not your fault. I'll get back on track again…'

Castiel stared at Dean. His outbursts had never harmed electronic equipment. Sure, if there was glass involved, it was more susceptible to damage, but the wiring remained unaffected. The computer screen had no glass. His feathers ruffled as he realized what was going on. But he wanted to make sure. 'Balthazar asked me about our relationship… Did…did Anna speak with you?'

Dean nodded. 'She didn't really ask about us as an item, though.'

'Item?'

Dean looked at Castiel and gave him a small smile. 'Yeah… Uh, together. You and me… Er…boyfriends?'

Castiel blushed. He returned Dean's smile. 'I…I like the sound of that…'

Dean grinned and put his arm over the back of the seat. 'So, you wanna go snipe hunting?'

Castiel frowned at Dean. 'I'm strictly forbidden from hunting snipes,' he replied.

Dean rolled his eyes. 'Of course you are.'

Castiel smiled shyly at Dean as he took the Hunter's hand in his. 'But…no one's here to stop me,' he said as he leaned over and pressed his lips against Dean's. He pulled back and bit at his lip in uncertainty.

Dean stared at Castiel, baffled. 'You…you know what a snipe hunt is.'

Castiel nodded. 'Since I was thirteen. It was part of the sex talk, so I assumed it was in some way related.'

'Snipe hunts were part of the sex talk?'

Castiel shrugged in response. 'I was warned not to go with anyone that wanted to hunt snipes.'

Dean shook his head before grabbing at Castiel's tie and pulling him forward.


	11. Chapter 11

AN: Thank you, everyone, that's said such nice things! This and scene has been planned since the beginning, and now it's a matter of connecting to all the other little dots wanna reach.

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When Dean and Castiel walked through the kitchen door, a box of light bulbs was thrust into Castiel's arms. He looked from the box to Bobby.

'You broke it, you fix it,' Bobby explained.

Castiel nodded. He looked at the light fixture next to him then back at the box.

'Problem?' Bobby asked.

Castiel mumbled.

'Say again?'

Castiel blushed brightly. 'I—I don't know how…'

Dean laughed, and Bobby stared at Castiel, open-mouthed. 'How—?' Bobby shook his head and lead Castiel to a nearby lamp, grabbing a rag on the way. He unplugged the lamp and pulled the lamp shade off. 'Make sure the power's off first,' he said, showing the plug to Castiel. He took the rag and grabbed hold of what was left of the bulb. 'Or a potato'll work, too.'

'Potato?'

'To get what's left of the light bulb without hurtin' yerself on broken glass,' Bobby replied as he twisted the remnants of the bulb out of the socket. He tossed the bulb into the trash and took one of the new bulbs out of the box Castiel carried. He screwed it in, replaced the shade, and plugged in the lamp.

'Y'got it?'

Castiel nodded. 'Yes… Um…what about the windows?'

'Gabriel already got those. Took a couple tries, but he finally managed plain glass,' Bobby replied before leaving Castiel alone.

'Do you want help?' Dean asked.

Castiel shook his head and smiled at Dean. 'I'm all right. I can manage this. You should continue your search.'

Dean smiled gratefully at Castiel before heading for the computer.

.-.-.-.-.

After three days, Dean was going insane. He couldn't find anything. When he had finally managed to track down his original research, it turned out to be a dead end. He was growing frustrated, and snapped at everyone over everything.

When Dean was forced to leave for a bathroom break, Castiel slipped in and poked around the computer. He wondered just what Anna had done. He stared at the screen helplessly. He couldn't change it back. He didn't know how. There had been angelic tampering. He could feel it. For the past three days, he took every chance he had to study the computer and figure out how to reverse Anna's work. Even if it would be better if Dean never fixed the cuff, it wasn't fair. Dean deserved a chance. He sighed as he heard Dean returning.

'Cas? What are you doing?' Dean asked harshly.

Castiel looked up at Dean and vacated the chair. 'I was reading what you had found,' he replied. 'I didn't touch anything.'

Dean slumped into the chair and checked over the screen. It was just as he'd left it.

'Would you…like me to get you something?' Castiel offered.

Dean shook his head, staring at the screen as he clicked on another link that lead to nothing useful. He sighed and leaned back. 'Pie. Pie would be nice.'

Dean watched as Castiel quickly left the room. The angel's wings were just so black. Much of his research overlapped, and none of it mentioned angels having black wings. He yawned as he looked back at the screen. Freaky black wings. In his exhaustion, Dean's mind made connections it had never made before.

'No fucking way…'

When Castiel returned with a slice of pie, Dean grabbed his wrist and pulled off the cuff.

'D-dean?!'

Dean left for his bedroom, not saying a word. Castiel set the plate down and pulled his sleeve over his bare wrist. He followed Dean, but the door was shut in his face. He huffed and looked up and down the hallway. Keeping his wrist covered, he made his way to Sam's room and hid.

Dean emerged about an hour later. He shoved the cuff into his pocket and set about looking for Castiel. He decided to start with Gabriel. He found the shorter angel sitting in the study on the couch with Sam. 'Where's Cas?'

Gabriel looked up from his Playboy magazine at Dean. 'In the closet,' he replied with a slight grin.

'Cute.' Dean eyed the magazine. The cover model looked very familiar.

'No, really,' Gabriel insisted. 'He's in Sam's closet.'

'Why?' Dean squinted at the cover. Why was the cover model male?

Gabriel shrugged. 'I don't know why my brother does half the shit he does. He just does it.'

'Thank—The fuck?! That's _Sam_!' he shouted, finally recognizing the model.

Sam straightened and jerked his head in Gabriel's direction. 'What?!'

Gabriel smiled sheepishly at Sam and showed him the centerfold. 'It's all in good fun, sugar! I can make you one of me.'

Sam ripped the magazine from Gabriel's hold and flipped through it, blushing brighter and brighter. It looked just like him. It _was_ him. 'How…?'

'I know your body…intimately,' Gabriel replied as he crawled into Sam's lap.

Dean backed up. 'I'll leave you two to it…,' he said before darting away.

He found Castiel just where Gabriel said he'd be. He pushed Sam's shirts out of the way and crouched in front of Castiel. 'Why are you hiding in here?' he asked.

Castiel showed Dean his bare wrist. 'I didn't want anyone to see…'

Dean stared at the naked wrist. He took Castiel's right hand and pulled out the binding cuff. 'How's about round two?' he said before slapping the cuff onto Castiel's wrist.

Both Hunter and angel gasped at the sensation that fell over them. It was much stronger than the easy warmth they had felt before.

Castiel held his wrist in front of his face and stared at the cuff. He turned his wrist over, examining every angle. It looked exactly the same. He looked up at Dean's smiling face.

'Time for a test run…' Dean stood and helped Castiel up. 'Do you want to stay here, with me?' Dean asked.

Castiel stared at Dean, sadly. 'Dean…y-yes.' He clapped his hand over his mouth. He hadn't meant to say that. He felt Dean's relief and triumph flood over him. He stared at the cuff in astonishment. 'How…how did you…?'

Dean grinned. 'I figured it out,' he said smugly. 'Now, come here and hug me!'

Castiel felt the order settle over him, prompting his feet forward. It felt surreal. He wasn't against the order, but… He tried to fight against it. He stumbled and fell into Dean. His wings spread out, trying to gain some balance. He could feel the spell urging him on, rewarding him for being halfway there. He felt a little giddy just touching Dean. He let the spell guide his arms around Dean and embrace the young Hunter. He sighed happily as a blissful warmth shot through his body. Was this what his brother felt with Sam? What Karen felt with Bobby? No wonder they were so close to their Hunters. He could feel everything coming from Dean. The warmth, the kindness, the love. He squeezed harder and he began to cry.

.-.-.-.-.

For two hours, Dean had Castiel perform simple, stupid tasks. They ended up sitting on the floor of Sam's bedroom. 'Touch your nose! Touch _my_ nose!' He asked the angel pointless questions. 'What part of me's your favorite…physically?' He giggled as Castiel blushed, claiming it was a tie between his eyes and his hands. Dean was ecstatic. The solution had been so simple.

'So, you like my hands, huh?' he asked after a moment of silence.

Castiel nodded.

'Would you like them to be anywhere in particular?' Dean asked, smirking.

Castiel blushed and buried his face in his hands, nodding. His wings flicked out and bristled in anticipation.

Dean watched Castiel's reaction and felt butterflies that he knew weren't his own. 'Where?'

Castiel mumbled into his hands, and his wings spread out, stretching to their full wingspan.

'I can't hear you, Castiel,' Dean said teasingly. 'Where do you want my hands?'

'On my wings,' Castiel whined. He peeked up at Dean. He was suddenly reminded of his dream. The thought went straight to his groin.

'Do you want me to touch your wings right now?' Dean asked.

Castiel nodded. He gasped and moaned softly when he felt Dean's fingers sifting through his feathers. Everything was amazing. Everything felt wonderful. Everything was ripped away as he was pulled up by his collar.

'No! Bad!' Gabriel pulled his brother away from Dean.

Dean glared up Gabriel. '_You're_ one to talk.'

Gabriel glared back and pushed Castiel behind him.

Castiel huffed in irritation. 'Gabriel, I'm fine. I…I _want_ this,' he said.

Gabriel looked over his shoulder at Castiel, he caught sight of Sam lingering in the doorway. 'He shouldn't be allowed to coerce my baby brother.'

'I didn't—Cas! Tell him what happened!' Dean said as he stood.

Castiel fidgeted with the cuff. He looked off to the side as Gabriel stared at him. 'We…we were testing the connection,' he replied. 'And…I… He asked if I wanted him to touch my wings.' He looked at Gabriel and took a step back at the shocked expression he received.

'But… I thought… I thought it wasn't working right?!' Gabriel looked between Dean and Castiel.

'What's not working right?' Sam asked as he entered the room.

Gabriel growled in frustration. 'Their link!' he bit out.

'What do you mean?'

'It's none of your business, Sammy!' Dean said.

'Cas doesn't have to obey Dean,' Gabriel miserably replied. He sent Castiel a silent apology.

Castiel nodded and turned to Sam. 'It's true,' he said as he looked up to calmly meet Sam's eyes. 'But it is no longer an issue. Dean has fixed the cuff's spellwork.'

Sam looked at Castiel in confusion then at Dean. 'What? Why…why didn't you say anything?' he asked, hurt by his brother's mistrust.

Dean shrugged. 'It doesn't matter anymore.'

'Dean—'

Dean sighed and rolled his eyes. 'What would you have done? Would have argued about how much of a threat he is, or would you have helped me fix the problem?'

Sam looked away. 'I'm not sure… Both,' he admitted.

Dean nodded. 'So, can you blame me?'

Sam stared at the floor and eventually met Dean's eyes. 'I still wish you had told me.'

Dean sighed and looked at Castiel. 'It doesn't matter anymore. What's done is done. Let's just… Can we not say anything about it?'

Sam frowned at Dean. 'Bobby and Karen deserve to know,' he said as he crossed his arms.

Dean nodded and rubbed his neck. 'Then…can we hold off telling them until after Balthazar and Anna are gone?'

'I agree with Dean,' Gabriel said. 'I don't…I don't want them having any sort of excuse to take Cas away.'

Sam nodded in agreement. 'Alright…'

'Thanks, Sammy,' Dean said, looking gratefully at Sam.

.-.-.-.-.

Castiel didn't have to be coaxed into Dean's bed that night, and Dean didn't have to be reminded that sleep was required for him to function properly. Dean spooned against Castiel, having to loop and arm under a wing to get comfortable.

After a few hours of sleep, Castiel woke up. He was about to go back to sleep, when he could have sworn he heard a noise. He edged out of Dean's hold and quietly headed to the door. He used a little power to prevent the floorboards from creaking as he walked down the hallway to the stairs. He could hear Balthazar speaking softly.

Castiel crouched at the top of the steps and strained to hear.

'Uh-huh. Everything's all clear on this end,' Balthazar said. 'Right…see you soon.'

Castiel breathed in sharply. His legs shook as he stood. He quickly and quietly made his way back to Dean. He crawled into bed and clung on to Dean.

Dean opened his eyes and groggily stared at the messy brown hair pressing into his chest. 'You okay there, Cas?'

Castiel shrugged. 'I…I don't know.'

Dean hugged Castiel and softly stroked his wings. 'It's okay,' he said soothingly. 'Everything's fixed now.'

Castiel relaxed a little, feeling reassured.

When Dean next awoke, it was to an empty bed. He shot up when he heard Gabriel shout Sam's name.

.-.-.-.-.

Gabriel fell back against the pillows of the lavish king-sized bed he had summoned. 'Fuck…'

Sam smiled at Gabriel as he lay next to him. 'So you liked that?' he asked as he trailed his fingers over Gabriel's wings. He dug deeper, feeling around where each wing connected to Gabriel's back.

Gabriel nodded enthusiastically. He moaned and turned on his side, giving Sam better access.

Sam laughed and scooted closer to Gabriel. He bent forward and kissed the back of Gabriel's neck. He kissed his way down between the three pairs of golden wings, rubbing his hand along Gabriel's sides, and lightly teasing his ass.

'Sa-am…,' Gabriel whined. 'Gimme a few minutes, at least!' he begged.

'But I like watching you squirm,' Sam said as he turned Gabriel to face him. 'You do it to me. Why can't I do it to you?'

Gabriel licked his lips and giggled. 'I'm not exactly stopping you…'

Sam pressed forward and nipped at Gabriel's lips. He caught Gabriel's tongue in his mouth and sucked before licking at the angel's lips.

'Sammy…'

Sam grinned and positioned himself over Gabriel. He kissed and sucked at Gabriel's neck.

'You're gonna give me a hickey…,' Gabriel groaned.

'I think that's the idea,' Sam replied.

Gabriel giggled and lightly stroked Sam's sides with his wings. 'Mmm…'

.-.-.-.-.

Dean found Castiel sitting at the kitchen table, frowning at his eggs.

'They're just eggs, Cas. No need to be mad at them,' he said lightly as he sat next to Castiel.

Castiel looked up at Dean. 'I'm sorry. I'm just upset right now,' he replied. 'Please…please don't ask why…'

Dean nodded. 'Okay… Will you at least tell me later?'

'Yes.'

'Then we'll worry about it later,' Dean said, clapping Castiel on the back. 'Until then, you shouldn't frown at happy eggs.'

Castiel sighed. He didn't understand Karen's fascination with feeding him food in the shape of happy faces. This time, his plate had eyes made of eggs, bacon for a mouth, and seasoned potatoes for hair. He looked up at the sound of Balthazar and Anna entering the kitchen.

'Mm! Something smells absolutely wonderful!' Balthazar exclaimed.

Karen smiled at him and handed him a plate. 'Thank you!'

As Balthazar took a seat, Castiel stood. 'I've lost my appetite,' he said quietly, pushing his plate to Dean and leaving the kitchen.

Anna made to follow, but Karen stood in her way. Karen gave Anna an even stare and handed her a plate of food.

'Have a seat, dear,' Karen said sweetly. 'Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.'

Anna huffed in irritation. 'You didn't make Castiel stay,' she argued.

'That poor boy is under so much stress right now,' Karen replied as she took Anna by the elbow and lead her to the table. 'I think we can permit him to miss a meal or two.' She pulled out a chair and crossed her arms, staring expectantly at Anna.

Anna sat and began eating.

Karen nodded happily and set about cleaning up.

.-.-.-.-.

For the rest of the day, Castiel was extremely nervous. He jumped at everything. Even Gabriel was beginning to worry. Castiel had shut Gabriel out of his thoughts, and it was making Gabriel worried and nervous.

He tried asking Castiel what was going on, but Castiel would just look away and shake his head. The only other time Castiel had acted so secretively was when he was contemplating running away…

Gabriel resorted to tracking down Dean for answers. He found Dean bent over the engine of the Impala. 'De-ean!' he whined as approached.

Dean sagged and took a calming breath before facing Gabriel. 'What do you want?'

'Why's Cas bein' weird?' Gabriel asked in the same whiney tone.

'I didn't ask,' Dean said as he went back to fixing the engine.

Gabriel groaned in frustration. He stared at the engine and frowned. He could feel traces of Balthazar's energy lingering. 'What's wrong with your car?'

Dean growled as he slammed his fists down. 'I don't know!' he yelled. 'Everything? Nothing? I went to start it this morning, and it's not working! It's not the battery, nothin's wrong with the engine, all the wires are connected…' He scratched at his head. 'I have replaced every damn part, and nothing's working!'

Gabriel backed away. He had a feeling none of the other cars would work. They were stuck. Cas had to have had a clue as to what was going on. And Gabriel could guess what Castiel was up to. When he found his brother, he hugged him.

'Uh, Gabriel?' Castiel asked, patting Gabriel's back.

'It was nice knowin' ya,' bro,' Gabriel said as he held Castiel at arms' length. 'I regret to inform you that I won't be able to make it to your funeral.'

Castiel grimaced. 'So, you know?'

Gabriel nodded. 'Yeah. You are so dead.'

Castiel pulled at his sleeves and looked away. 'Please don't say anything…'

Gabriel grinned and made a zipping motion across his lips. 'Don't worry. I like watchin' Dad blow up at you. Fun times. And _this_ time, _I_ can't get caught in the crossfire!' he said giddily. 'Wonder what he'll do to Anna and Balthy? This is gonna be great! When's he gonna get here?'

Castiel smiled with his brother. 'I don't know…soon.'

.-.-.-.-.

The next day, everyone was gathered at the table for breakfast. Anna and Balthazar were keeping a close eye on Castiel, and Gabriel desperately wanted to see everyone's reactions.

Castiel tensed up, and he worriedly stared at his brother. Gabriel caught the look and sucked in a breath. The doorbell rang, and Castiel ducked his head. Gabriel had to bite his lip from grinning, and took to shoving more food in his mouth.

Karen began to stand when Anna held up a hand. 'I've got it,' she said as she stood and headed towards the front door.

Karen frowned in confusion then looked to Castiel and Gabriel. 'Is everything alright?' she asked upon seeing Castiel looking more miserable than ever.

Castiel nodded as faint voices drifted into the kitchen.

'Cas is gonna get in trouble,' Gabriel sang.

Balthazar dropped his fork and stared in horror at Castiel. 'What did you do?!' he hissed.

'Castiel!'

Castiel cringed and slowly stood. 'What had to be done,' Castiel replied. 'He won't listen otherwise.'

Dean watched the exchange in confusion. 'Cas, what's goin' on?' he asked as he stood and followed Castiel out of the kitchen.

'My father is here,' Castiel replied.

Dean paused and quickly caught up. 'Your _dad_?! But…how did he…?'

Dean stopped just behind Castiel and stared at the small entourage in the entryway. Anna stared back, wide-eyed and pressed against the wall, trying to be as far away without actually leaving. A shorter, well-dressed, middle-aged man stood in the center of the entry with his arms crossed and glaring at Castiel. The only one that actually seemed comfortable with the situation was a young, dark-haired woman, leaning against the front door.

'Hello, Father,' Castiel greeted.

'Heya, Daddy-o!' Gabriel added, poking his head out from behind Dean. 'For the record, I had nothing to do with this! For once.'

Sam came up next to Dean and frowned. 'But…you're not an angel,' he said.

The man's eyes flashed red and he grinned at Sam. 'So observant,' he said, his voice dripping in sarcasm.


	12. Chapter 12

AN: For those who guessed who Cas's dad is, congrats! You get…a new chapter.

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'What the hell?!' Sam took a step back and noticed that Dean was completely unaffected by the revelation. In fact, his brother was grinning.

'I knew it!' Dean said as he stepped forward.

'Good for you,' the demon said dismissively. He turned his attention back to Castiel. 'Remove the trap, and let's go home.'

'N-no…' Castiel placed his hand on the cuff and glared. 'I couldn't if I wanted. And I don't want to.'

'Castiel, I'm being very patient. Don't even pretend that damned thing works on you.'

Castiel stared at the floor. 'Dean fixed it,' he quietly replied. 'It works now…' He raised his arm and tried to tug the cuff off. He winced as a jolt of pain ran up his arm.

'Really…' The demon eyed Dean for a moment. 'You're a lot smarter than you look,' he said. He shifted his weight and held a hand out to Dean. 'Name's Crowley. How would you like to work for me? The pay's good.'

'Don't sign anything,' Castiel and Gabriel said simultaneously.

Dean stared at the hand incredulously. 'Work for a demon? Why the fuck would I work for a _demon_?!'

Crowley let his arm drop with a shrug. 'Lots of people work for me.'

'Why is everyone standing out here?' Karen asked as she came into the entryway, followed by Bobby and Balthazar.

'Well, I would love to sit somewhere more comfortable, but I seem to be…momentarily incapacitated,' Crowley replied.

Karen walked past the four boys and up to Crowley. 'I'm so sorry for their rude behavior! I've taught them better,' she said glaring over her shoulder.

Sam stared on in shock. Why couldn't Karen sense what Crowley was? And, for that matter, why did the demon's eyes look human? Was he possessing some poor human? And, if that was the case, why were Castiel and Gabriel perfectly fine with it?

Karen turned back to Crowley and held her hand out in greeting. 'My name is Karen. You must Gabriel and Castiel's father. It's good to meet you!'

Crowley grinned as he shook her hand. He nodded as Karen's eyes grew wide. 'Quite the powerful one, you are.'

Karen ripped her hand away and summoned a blade in each hand. 'How did you get in here?!' She made to attack the demon, but found Castiel blocking her path. 'Move out of the way, Castiel!'

Castiel stared sadly at Karen. 'I can't let you kill my father.'

Karen looked from Castiel to Crowley and back. 'I'm not going to kill him, sweetie. I'm just going to detain him,' she explained. 'You're father's possessed.'

Gabriel laughed loudly and had to cling to Sam for support. 'That…is the best one ever!'

Even Castiel wore a slight smile.

Karen looked on in confusion. 'What…?'

'Not possessed. Just a demon,' Crowley replied.

Karen inhaled sharply and glared. There was a demon in her house. A demon standing on _her_ rug, in _her_ hallway, in _her_ house!

'Please, Karen,' Castiel said, placing a hand on Karen's arm. 'He's in a devil's trap right now. He poses no threat.'

'He's lying, of course,' Crowley pointed out. 'I always pose a threat. Just not in the…conventional way.'

Karen huffed and released her blades. 'Very well. He remains in the devil's trap, and he is not allowed to have any meals,' she instructed as she turned on her heel and made her way into the study. Her wings were spread wide in agitation and whacked Dean in the chest as she passed.

Bobby watched Karen leave then went back to glaring at Crowley. 'You look familiar.'

Crowley tilted his chin up. 'I run a successful…business and give the occasional interview,' he replied. 'I'm assuming you can read…'

Bobby didn't bat an eye at the obvious baiting. 'Lemme guess, you buy up small businesses and run 'em into the ground. Put everyone out of a job.'

Crowley scoffed. 'As much fun as that would be, I'd make more profit absorbing a little storefront into my company. Treat the employees well, and you have _loyalty_.' He gave Bobby an even stare. 'And if they aren't loyal and run on the side of not quite human, well then… I just introduce them to Cassie.'

Castiel's wings bristled as he returned to Dean's side. 'I don't appreciate being used,' he said quietly.

'Then get it under control,' Crowley replied without missing a beat. He snapped his fingers at the young woman still leaning against the front door. 'Meg, be dear and bring in the case.'

Crowley ran his eyes over the three Hunters, evaluating them. 'I propose a trade,' he said. 'My boys' freedom for some useful items.'

'What if I don't _want_ my freedom?' Gabriel asked, standing as tall as he could.

Crowley rolled his eyes. 'Well, it's not up to _you_, is it?' He turned his attention to Sam. 'What do you say, Sasquatch? Trade in your angel for a knife that can kill demons?'

Sam narrowed his eyes at Crowley and placed both hands protectively on Gabriel's shoulders. 'I might have the power to release Gabriel, but the choice is up to him. If he wants to stay, then he stays.'

Crowley made a disgusted face. 'How sentimental.'

Meg returned with a medium-sized metal case. She remained near the entrance. 'Do you want me to slide this thing over?' she asked, eying the floor.

Crowley shot her a glare. 'Anna, bring me the box.'

Anna quickly made her way to Meg and tried to pull the case from her grip.

Meg glared at Anna. 'You weren't very nice to Clarence,' she said quietly. 'Your usefulness won't last forever.' She let go of the case and smirked at Anna.

Anna returned Meg's glare and brought the case to Crowley. She held it as he opened it and pulled out a gun.

'How about a gun?' Crowley offered.

Dean quickly stepped back. 'You're gonna shoot us?!'

Crowley scoffed and held the gun out. 'It's not loaded. I'm making an offer, you imbecile.'

'Thanks, but no thanks,' Dean replied. 'I can't believe you think your sons are only worth one lousy gun!'

Castiel, on the other hand, gave his father a small smile. 'You're willing to give up the Colt for us?'

Dean looked down at Castiel in shock. 'Seriously, Cas? You're worth more than some gun!'

Castiel looked up at Dean. 'You don't understand,' he explained. 'The Colt can kill _anything_.'

'Cas—'

'_Anything_, Dean! Demons, vampires, wedigoes…everything.'

Dean sighed and stared at the ceiling before looking back at Castiel. 'I don't care,' he said carefully. 'You're worth more than that to me.'

Castiel blushed lightly at the strong emotions he felt coming from Dean.

Crowley rolled his eyes. 'Is this a Winchester thing? Because I know for a fact the Campbells weren't much for sentiment.'

Crowley was met with three confused stares. He tilted his head slightly. He gave a short, disbelieving laugh as he shook his head. 'You don't know, do you?'

'Know what?' Dean demanded.

Crowley crossed his arms, smirking at Dean. 'Mommy dearest was a Campbell. Mary Campbell, daughter of Samuel and Deanna Campbell.'

'Oh! No, you're mistaken, but I can see where you'd get that,' Sam said. 'Our mother was Mary Pickett.'

The knowing smirk never left Crowley's face. 'Why don't you ask your angel?'

Sam looked down at Gabriel, who was shifting nervously. 'Gabe? What do you know about this?'


	13. Chapter 13

AN: Thank you! You're all wonderful, and say wonderful things that make me cry! I don't deserve you guys!

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Gabriel bit his lip and looked up at Sam. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see that Dean was also looking at him in interest. 'The Campbell family was hunted down,' he replied with difficulty. He didn't want Sam to know. Sam was happier not knowing his family history. 'Everyone thinks it was 'cuz they were good at their job, but it…it…'

'Gabriel, tell me what you know about our mother.'

'She's dead because she was a Campbell!' Gabriel wailed. He took a calming breath and continued. 'Her father's angel was handed off to her, and he helped her escape. She released him on the condition that he lead the attackers off her trail long enough for her to get a new identity. But it wasn't good enough… It took a few years, but they found her again, and…well… You know what happened.' Gabriel stared at his feet.

Sam and Dean stared at each other. They had heard of the Campbells, and how they were hunted down until one branch of the family remained. One final push from a small army of demons and monsters, and none remained. There were rumors that one survived, but everyone had thought it was just a story to tell children. That no matter what, one of the brave Campbells was still out there, fighting to protect humanity. Apparently, there were still a couple Campbells running around, fighting monsters.

Sam looked back at Gabriel and stroked the angel's hair. 'How do you know this?' he asked. If it was just something Gabriel had been told, then it might not be true.

'My _father_,' Gabriel spat the word out, 'was that angel.'

All eyes went from Gabriel to Crowley.

Crowley grinned. 'Gabriel's mother didn't agree with how the boy's real father wanted to raise him, so she took her kid and came to work for me,' he said. A more sincere smile formed as he recalled how he would receive reports with feathers stapled to them. 'She was a horrible secretary.'

'Alright, so Sam and Dean are related to the Campbell family,' Bobby said as he came closer. 'I'll buy that. But what I don't get is how an angel and a demon got together.' He gave the demon in question a hard stare. He had never met an angel that didn't have a bad reaction to a demon.

'If you're implying I raped my wife, then you are sorely mistaken,' Crowley ground out. 'She came to me because she had heard angels could work for my law firm and be protected from Hunters. She had a small child to raise on her own. She couldn't afford to be bound to a Hunter.'

'Mom was hired on as a receptionist at first,' Gabriel said fondly. 'But she sucked at answering the phone, so they moved her to secretary. She was better at it, but she…shed. That's when Dad showed up to have a word with the new angel that couldn't keep her feathers out of his paperwork.' He finished with a small grin.

'She begged me not to fire her, so I threatened to staple her feathers back onto her wings if she couldn't keep it together,' Crowley added. 'A few months later…we became quite close. Nine more months and Castiel graced us with his presence.'

'Seriously?' Dean asked. 'Not the most romantic pick up line there, buddy.'

Crowley sighed in irritation. 'The specifics of my office romance don't necessarily concern you.'

'Mom hid all the staplers and kept stapling her feathers to Dad's stuff!' Gabriel said gleefully as Crowley sneered. 'She was really careful to make sure it was _just_ his stuff, too.'

Crowley shook his head in disgust. 'Yes, yes. We were the talk of the company.'

'So, there's no staplers, and Dad's determined to carry out his threat, so he grabs the tape dispenser,' Gabriel said, in full gossip mode. 'And he tapes mom's feathers to her wings. Like, really badly. I had to help her get the tape out when she got home. But she kept doing it every day, and he keeps taping them back on. And uh…I guess Mom got more flirty about it, and Dad took longer to tape…er… Mom started coming home with less tape…and very happy.' Gabriel was blushing as he thought about his mother and adoptive father flirting and later fucking. He still refused to enter the supply closet on the floor that his father's office was on.

'That is…romantic!' Karen said as she came back into the entry. Her eyes were watery and she had her hands clasped in front of her chest. 'You should stay for dinner.'

Crowley gave her a doubtful stare.

'You'll have to be in a devil's trap of course,' she added.

Crowley nodded. 'Of course.' He knew there had to be a catch to her sudden change in opinion. 'Unfortunately, I won't be staying that long. And neither with Gabriel and Castiel.'

Gabriel groaned in frustration. 'I don't wanna leave!' he reiterated. 'I'm happy here. With Sam! I…I love him!'

Crowley stared at Gabriel in shock. He looked to Sam. 'No, he doesn't,' he quickly said. 'Ask him. It's not true.'

Gabriel's heart beat faster. His eyes never left Crowley's. 'Ask me, Sam.'

Sam looked lost. 'Do…do you love me?' he asked. He was almost afraid of the answer. There was the possibility that Gabriel only thought he loved Sam, but if he really did love Sam… He still wasn't sure how he felt about the angel. He knew he cared deeply for Gabriel, but he didn't know if he actually loved him yet.

'I love you, Sam Winchester,' Gabriel said with a steady voice as he looked up at Sam. He smiled warmly at his Hunter. 'And I'll do everything in my power to protect you. Dean on the other hand…'

Crowley looked from Gabriel to Castiel. 'Not you, too?'

Castiel pulled his wings in tight at the sudden attention. 'I…I don't know,' he replied helplessly. He felt a pang of hurt come from Dean. He ducked his head and pulled at his sleeve. 'I'm sorry…'

Dean wrapped his arm around Castiel and pulled him close. He glared at Crowley. 'What's it to you, anyway?'

Crowley sighed as he shook his head. Maybe he _should_ have loaded the gun. He looked back up as Castiel addressed him.

'F-Father…I… I want to stay. I…understand the danger,' Castiel said quietly, leaning into Dean. 'Besides, I'm a threat all on my own.'

Crowley huffed and looked away. 'No, you can't—Castiel, they _know_!' he shouted, pointing to the door with the gun. 'We are on lockdown right now!'

Castiel stiffened as he sucked in a breath.

'Cas?' Dean looked down at Castiel. 'What's wrong?' he asked.

Castiel's breaths came quickly as he hugged himself. Through his distraction, he didn't even fight the cuff's pull. 'They know! They know about me, and they're gonna come after me.'

Dean turned Castiel to face him. 'Who?'

Castiel looked up at Dean, tears forming. 'Lucifer… Or Michael. Both… I don't know…'

'Both,' Crowley quietly confirmed. 'They each have so many spies…if one knows, you can count on the other knowing.'

'I have to go!' Castiel cried. He hugged Dean tightly as the lights softly flickered. 'I'm sorry!'

Crowley smirked as he felt the devil's trap vanish. He stepped forward and placed a hand on Castiel's shoulder. 'We'll be leaving now,' he said to Dean. 'Coming, Gabriel?'

Gabriel looked around frantically. 'N-no,' he whispered. He reached out to Castiel, pleading for him to stay. 'W-what's the point of leaving? Sam and Dean are the last of the Campbells…and Cas is a halfbreed…,' he winced as Castiel flinched at the word, 'so…what's the point?'

'It's safer at home,' Crowley replied.

'You don't know that!' Gabriel argued. 'If they found out about Cas, then they can get in! It's not safe _anywhere_, so we might as well stay here! At least…at least we're _happy_ here!'

Castiel looked at his brother. He wanted to stay with Dean, but…he was a threat. There may be no accidental deaths because of him now, but the cuff's magic wouldn't save Dean and his family from Lucifer.

'C'mon, Dad! We can hole up here,' Gabriel pleaded. 'Get a few of your more trusted minions to play guard… We'll lay low.'

Crowley crossed his arms and turned away. 'No. It's not safe.'

'Um…'

All eyes turned to Karen, and she puffed her wings slightly. 'We've never had a problem until you. And, yes, I should have kept a closer eye on those two,' she said, indicating Anna and Balthazar. 'But I did a sweep of the property after finding out about you, and the only tampering that's been done has been on the main path leadin' up to here. My home _is_ safe.'

Crowley regarded Karen. He tilted his head slightly. 'It's not safe against angels.'

Karen frowned and looked to Bobby for help. 'Angels?'

'Lucifer and Michael are angels,' Gabriel explained. 'Archangels.'

'So if we angel-proofed the place, would you let Cas and Gabe stay?' Dean asked. He had his hand resting on one of Castiel's wings, lightly scratching it.

Crowley frowned at Dean's hand. 'That would depend on your intentions with my son,' he replied, staring pointedly at Dean's hand.

Dean pulled Castiel to him, placing the angel's back against his chest. 'Whatever Cas wants.'

'Please, Dad?' Gabriel begged.

Crowley looked to Castiel and raised his brow in question.

Castiel reluctantly looked up. 'I…I would…' He swallowed and bit his lip. 'I would like to stay with Dean. If he…if everyone understands what it means…the threat…then…yes. I want to stay.'

Crowley glared up at Dean.

Dean nodded.

Crowley's eyes shifted to Sam, who nodded curtly in response. His gaze fell upon Bobby and Karen. 'Well? It has to be unanimous, and understand this: you _will_ be attacked on all sides by demon _and_ angel alike.'

Karen breathed deeply. She took Bobby's hand in hers and gave it a squeeze.

'We understand,' Bobby answered.

Crowley nodded solemnly as he turned away. 'Anna, replace the devil's traps along the perimeter,' he ordered. 'Meg, you set about placing wards against angels. And don't lock Anna out.'

Meg rolled her eyes as she nodded.

'And me?' Balthazar asked.

'Hex bags, warding…anything to keep us hidden, but nothing conspicuous.' Crowley turned to face the small group of Hunters and angels. 'Now, then. Where's my room?'


	14. Chapter 14

AN: I've hit a little writer's block, but I'm hoping I managed to work through it! HTank you for reading and liking this!

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Karen viciously stabbed at a potato. There was a demon in _her_ house, staying under _her_ roof, eating _her_ food, and sleeping on her _linens_! And not just one. Oh, no. There were _two_ of them. She took a calming breath and stared at the unfortunate potato.

'Hey, Karen…uh…' Dean cautiously approached Karen.

Karen turned to face Dean, a bright smile on her face. 'What is it, sweetie?'

Dean eyed the knife in Karen's hand. 'Er…I was gonna ask what was for dinner, but uh… I think I'll just go find Cas…'

Karen followed Dean's gaze to the knife and her white-knuckled grip. She quickly set it on the counter. 'Here, how about you help me?' she offered as she pulled out a bowl and filled it with water. 'Meatloaf, broccoli, and mashed potatoes. You can cut the potatoes!'

Dean's shoulders slumped in defeat. He just wanted to know what was for dinner. He wasn't ready for a heart-to-heart with Karen. He picked up the knife and set about cutting. 'Sorry…about all this…'

Karen gave Dean a smile and a shrug. 'You didn't know. _I_ didn't even know. About Castiel, that is,' she said. 'I could feel he was different, but… I never would have thought…' She shook her head as she pulled out the ingredients she would need.

Dean let out a quiet laugh. 'Yeah… I didn't find out until the other day. It just…hit me. Looking at his wings…I just… It was like looking at some…dark angel or something, and it just clicked. So, I was able to fix the cuff.'

Karen frowned and looked at Dean. 'Fix…? Dean, what was wrong with the binding cuff?' she asked.

'Er…' Dean swallowed self-consciously and gave Karen an uncertain smile. 'It uh…didn't work that well,' he replied. 'S-sorry I didn't say anything. I just…I didn't want you guys to have an excuse to make him leave. And I didn't want you to worry.'

Karen sighed as she shook her head. 'We wouldn't make him leave, and you know that.' She rolled some breadcrumbs between her fingers, thinking. 'If you don't mind my asking…how did it not work? You said you were feeling each other's thoughts, but…that couldn't be what was wrong.'

'Yeah… It was weird,' Dean eventually replied. 'I guess…he could ignore orders, and he could lie when asked a direct question. He said he could feel the pull of the spell, but he didn't have to pay attention to it.'

'And the cuff didn't fall off?' Karen asked, confused.

Dean stared at Karen. 'Fall off? No, he… He took it off himself a while ago, but it never fell off. Um, why?'

'The cuff falls off if the connection's not strong enough,' Karen explained as she turned back to the pile of breadcrumbs.

'What?! I've never heard of that!'

Karen laughed as she set about mixing ingredients. 'Of course not,' she replied. 'Angels refuse to tell Hunters that there's more to it than just a little binding spell, and a Hunter that loses an angel won't tell anyone out of embarrassment.' She looked up at Dean and grinned. 'Bobby wasn't my first Hunter.'

Dean stared at her, dumbfound. 'W-what…?'

'You know how he found me at the theatre in town?' At Dean's nod, she continued. 'I was there _looking_ for a Hunter. My first Hunter was a jerk. Not just to me. To everyone. I acted out. Fought the pull. Before that first week was up, the cuff cracked and fell off.'

'So…that's what was up with Gabriel at the beginning.'

Karen nodded. 'He was testing the bond. Anything to make Sam snap at him, order him to stop…' She smiled to herself as she cracked a couple eggs. 'I burned the house down during my first week with Bobby,' she admitted. 'We stood outside, staring at the smoking remains… I hadn't meant to burn it down. I _meant_ to cook the most god-awful pot pie, but I didn't know anything about cooking!'

Dean quietly cut the potatoes, listening to Karen. He couldn't begin to imagine Karen not being able to cook.

'And Bobby… Bobby just laughed,' she said. 'We managed to save the more important books, but everything else? Gone. I was cryin', helpless as could be, wailing on about how I just wanted to cook a bad pie!' She laughed, and her wings spread out, making Dean duck. 'The next day, Bobby got me five cookbooks. Said I should learn to cook good before tryin' to cook bad.'

'I don't get it.'

Karen smiled up at Dean. 'He _forgave_ me. He was willin' to make it work. To him, _I _was more important than the house. Not as an angel, but as a person. He only went in for the books after he knew I was safe.'

'So…you're sayin' that…' Dean trailed off, staring at the potatoes. 'I have no idea what you're sayin'.'

'The link demands more than just obedience in order to work,' Karen patiently explained. 'You have to _care_ about Castiel. There's something in the spell to protect us angels from those who would abuse it.'

Dean nodded. 'Oh, yeah! _That_ I saw. I just didn't get what it did, exactly.'

Karen stared at Dean. 'You… What do you mean?'

'I've been researching these damn binding cuffs and their spells for a week!' Dean replied. He scooped up some potato chunks and set them in the bowl of water. 'I know way too much about the spells that go into them.' He shrugged as he started on another potato. 'But…it helped with coming up with a new spell.'

'A new spell… You mean for Castiel's demon side?'

'Yeah… I essentially put a devil's trap on the other side of the cuff, but, y'know…with bits of the original spell tacked on.'

Karen stared ahead at the wall, pausing from kneading the meatloaf. She never thought Dean would be able to come up with something like that on his own. Or anyone. No Hunter had ever attempted to change the spellwork. She looked back at Dean, clearly impressed. 'The cuffs haven't been changed in centuries!'

Dean slumped forward a little. 'Tell me about it!' He jabbed at the potato a little more harshly than he should have. 'And there's almost no information on it, either! I had to dissect the damn spells myself. I can't believe no one's ever tried changing it before.'

Karen shrugged and moved to the sink to clean her hands. 'If it ain't broke… But…yeah, I can see what you mean. It…' She glanced over at Dean and bit her lip. 'It'd be nice to have the connection, but not the compulsion,' she quietly admitted. 'Bobby's real careful, and he takes it back when he does slip up, but…I wish he didn't have to.'

'So…what Cas and I had before I…fixed it.' Dean stared at the knife in his hand. He never thought about it from the angel's perspective.

Karen laid a hand on Dean's shoulder and gave him a reassuring smile. 'But you changed it,' she said. 'You made it work on an angel with demon blood! Imagine what you could do to lessen the original spell. Make it so we have a _choice_!'

Dean stared down at Karen, shocked. 'I…I didn't know you felt that way…'

Karen quickly looked away. 'I… Don't go gettin' the wrong idea. I'm happy. I love Bobby so much, and…we're good an' happy together. I mean… Bobby and I…we're married, but…I wish I could wear a ring instead of this,' she said as she raised her wrist, showing off the tarnished cuff. 'It's beautiful on its own, but…it's more a mark of ownership than of partnership.'

'And he can't release you, 'cuz another Hunter would take a go.'

Karen nodded. 'You…you and Sam are such bright boys… If anyone could change things…I think the two of you would be the ones to do it.'

Dean sucked in a breath. 'C-change things? Us?' he weakly asked.

Karen smiled at him and glanced over his shoulder to the doorway. 'Why don't you and Castiel help his father get settled? I'll finish up in here.'

Dean looked over his shoulder to find Castiel hovering just behind the doorframe. 'Hey, Cas…'

Castiel bit his lip as he waited for Dean. 'I need somewhere to hide,' he said. 'And not the panic room.'

Dean could feel the urgency wafting off of Castiel. 'What's wrong?'

'Father's asking questions.'

Dean raised his brow. 'Okay…'

Castiel looked down at the floor, blushing. '_Sexual_ questions.'

Dean couldn't stop the snort of laughter that surfaced. 'Like what?' he asked, grinning. This was a good change in pace. Nowhere near as heavy as his previous conversation. He could talk to Sam about it later once he'd wrapped his head around it.

Castiel made a distressed tone, and his wings fluttered. 'L-like _sex_. Penetration. He's asking if we're using protection!'

Dean laughed and leaned against the wall for support. 'You told him we haven't done that much yet, right?'

'Yes! He doesn't believe me!' Castiel cried out. He straightened and glared as Dean broke out into a new fit of laughter. He stamped his foot and the light above them burst. 'Dean!'

The popping of the bulb calmed Dean slightly, and he grinned at Castiel. 'That's just…wow! I'm sorry, Cas, but… That's priceless!' He roughly wrapped an arm around the angel's shoulders and guided him toward the stairs. 'Tell ya' what, we'll hole up in my room.'

'No, I'll be cornered!' Castiel replied. 'That's why the panic room won't work. He'll have me cornered, and he'll start interrogating me again!'

'Heya, Clarence.'

Castiel stared at the stairs in dismay. Meg sat in the middle of them, effectively blocking the way. He felt Dean stiffen next to him and hint of distrust from the Hunter. 'Meg.'

'Don't worry, Dean,' Meg said. 'I'm not after your boyfriend.' She turned her attention back to Castiel. 'I see my advice worked.'

Castiel shifted uncomfortably. '_Your_ advice yielded better results,' he replied.

'What advice?' Dean asked, confused.

Castiel growled in frustration at the cuff's tug. 'Advice on flirting,' he quietly snapped.

'Oh, shit. I'm sorry!' Dean said, backing away from Castiel.

Meg giggled from her spot on the stairs. 'I told him he should show an interest in what you like. Ask questions,' she added.

Castiel could feel his cheeks burning. 'Yes, you were very helpful.'

Meg stood and approached Castiel. She reached up and ruffled his hair. 'C'mon, don't be like that.' She leaned in despite the glare she received from Dean. 'Why don't you just jump him?' she asked quietly.

Castiel squeaked and looked at Dean. 'Um…'

'Let him groom your wings,' she whispered into his ear. 'That's your fantasy, right? Do it. He'll _love_ it.' She backed away and gave Castiel a wink before walking off.

Castiel could feel confusion through the link and could only imagine what Dean was feeling from him. 'All right… L-let's hide in your room,' he stuttered. He started up the stairs and looked behind when he noticed Dean wasn't following.

Dean stared up at Castiel. He wasn't quite sure what he was feeling from the angel. Embarrassment, uncertainty, lust…a large helping of lust. What did Meg say to Castiel?

Castiel breathed deeply and slowly extended his wings, drawing Dean's attention to them. 'W-would you like to…uh…groom them?'

'Yes!' Dean blushed lightly at his outburst and rubbed at his neck. 'Er…yeah. That sounds…fun?'


	15. Chapter 15

AN: I know the destination. I just have no clue as to what route I'm taking. Thanks again for all your nice words!

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Everyone was actively avoiding Crowley, so he took the privacy as his chance to wander the house. He ended up in the living room, and his eyes swept over it, taking in every little detail. Bookshelves lined the walls, and a large desk sat in front of the fireplace. He sneered at the ugly, frayed couch and small television that also occupied the room.

He walked over to the desk and began opening drawers, rummaging through them. He pulled out an old journal and flipped through it. From the entries, he gathered it belonged to John Winchester. A throat cleared, and he looked up, not at all embarrassed at being caught. 'Yes?' he said as he went back to reading the journal.

Bobby glared at the demon. 'What do you think yer doin'?'

'Reading.'

Bobby stalked up to Crowley and snatched the book away.

Crowley gave a bored sigh and raised a brow at Bobby. 'Was that really necessary?'

Bobby shoved the journal back into the desk drawer and slammed it shut. 'You wanna read somethin', you ask first,' he said as he crossed his arms.

Crowley rolled his eyes and made to turn away, set on finding entertainment elsewhere.

'Why ain't yer eyes solid?' Bobby asked.

Crowley looked back up at Bobby. He blinked, flashing dark red eyes at the Hunter. He grinned at the sudden intake of air. Another blink, and his eyes looked normal once more. 'Did you really think we wouldn't learn to hide?' he asked. 'First thing you learn as a demon. Don't get it or can't control it? Well, that's natural selection.'

Bobby looked away briefly. He had killed his fair share of demons over the years, and none of them had presented themselves as calmly as the shorter man that stood before him. He had to keep reminding himself that the man was a demon. 'I take it "natural selection" applies to the crazies, too?' he said.

Crowley grimaced. 'There are a few that can't control their…urges,' he admitted.

'_Urges_?' Bobby scoffed. 'You're all a bunch of fuckin' evil bastards!'

'And humans aren't?' Crowley countered. 'We were born from your race. Humans are just as capable of evil as demons. More so, I should think. Your lot knows better.'

'And _you_ don't?!'

Crowley shrugged. He didn't want Bobby to know so much, but he needed the Hunter on his side. He leaned against the desk, deciding how much he should reveal. 'I understand the _concept_ of right and wrong. I just don't really care,' he eventually said. 'It's the same with angels. You must have noticed.'

Bobby frowned. Karen cared deeply about him and the boys. But, when it came to all others, she lacked any sort of emotional connection. He had caught her sighing and staring into space on several occasions when they would have to speak to the families of victims. Gabriel would laugh maniacally at tragic news reports, but the moment Sam would misplace something or stub a toe, Gabriel was right there, acting as if the world had come to an end.

'Good example: I want to kill Sam and Dean for taking my boys. Slowly torture them, make them beg for death. I want to slice that fat gut of yours and watch your intestines spill to the floor because you're housing those two,' Crowley said, ignoring Bobby's indignant squawk. 'The only thing that's stopping me is that I'd rather have you on my side.'

'On your side?! After you tell me that?!' Bobby shouted incredulously.

'Well, yes,' Crowley replied as he nodded. 'See, it would do me no good to kill off a small family of Hunters. That grabs attention. I don't need that sort of attention. I need allies, not vengeful Hunters breathing down my neck.'

'Yer not very good at makin' allies,' Bobby growled.

'Oh, but I am,' Crowley responded with a smile. 'I could kill those two boys with no problem, and be lauded a hero. Last of Campbells. Dead, and I'm responsible.' He pushed off the desk and took a step back as Bobby began to advance on him. 'I'd make plenty of new friends that way, but I don't want those sort of allies.'

Bobby paused, staring at Crowley in confusion. 'Then what sort of _allies_ are ya' lookin' for?'

'The sort that keep my boys _safe_. I have my priorities, and they are my _top priority_,' Crowley said.

Bobby stared at the demon. It all clicked together. Karen, Gabriel, Castiel, even Crowley. 'It's family. That's all you care about.'

'What?'

'Demons and angels. You don't care what it takes, who you have to take out,' Bobby said, 'as long as they're taken care of.'

Crowley sucked in a breath. He hadn't been counting on Bobby being smarter than he looked. These Hunters were too full of surprises. He turned and quickly left the room, not knowing what else he could do. He passed Meg in the hallway, looking entirely too smug for her own good. He grabbed her arm and narrowed his eyes at her.

'And what's got you in such a good mood?' he asked.

Meg's eyes went black as she held Crowley's gaze. 'If you think _I'm_ in a good mood, you should see Castiel,' she replied.

Crowley released his hold. 'And what are your thoughts on Dean?'

'He likes Castiel,' she replied. 'He apologized for asking Cas a question. Never seen a Hunter do that before.'

Crowley nodded and waved her away. 'Don't answer any of the older Hunter's questions. Or anyone's questions, for that matter.'

Meg grinned knowingly at Crowley. She hurried away as he rounded on her.

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Castiel sat at the foot of Dean's bed. He waited patiently while Dean drew a few symbols onto the door in chalk.

Dean turned around, tossing the chalk onto a nearby dresser. He dusted off his hands and grinned at Castiel. 'That should keep out any demons or angels,' he said.

Castiel nodded as he frowned at the symbols on the door. 'And keep _me_ in,' he pointed out.

Dean crawled onto bed and positioned himself just behind Castiel. 'You could always jump out the window,' he replied before slowly running his hands over the black wings. He leaned forward and pressed his lips against Casitel's neck. 'But do you really want to jump out the window?'

'Sometimes,' Castiel answered, then ducked his head as he realized what he had just said. 'Er, I mean…' He buried his head in his hands and groaned in frustration. He gasped and arched his back, forgetting his embarrassment, as Dean ran fingers down his spine.

Dean chuckled. 'Don't worry. I get it,' he said. 'Gabriel jumped off the roof a few times to see if he could fly.'

'We can't,' Castiel moaned as Dean reached around to stroke the undersides of his wings.

'Cas?'

'Mm?'

'I don't care.'

Castiel sighed happily as he leaned into Dean's touch. He was pulled back to reality as he felt confusion flitting along the cuff's connection. 'What's wrong?'

Dean frowned at Castiel's back and tugged at Castiel's jacket. 'I give up,' he said. 'How the fuck do I get this off you?'

'Oh!' One thought, and he was naked from the waist up. He looked over his shoulder and gave a cheeky grin when Dean gasped. 'Is that better?'

Dean surged forward and ran his tongue between Castiel's wings, giving his answer.

'Ah!' Black wings suddenly stretched out, shedding a few feathers. Castiel moaned as Dean stroked his feathers and kissed at his neck. He was a panting mess when Dean slowly guided him further back on the bed. He turned and caught Dean's lips with his own. He straddled Dean's lap as he pulled at Dean's shirt.

Dean twisted as Castiel pulled at his clothes. He tried not to break the kiss as the young angel attempted to push his shirt over his head. He broke away long enough to pull his t-shirt off and toss it into a corner. He stared at Castiel and was rewarded with a sharp pulse of need. He smirked as Castiel's wings splayed out, showing off every feather. He reached up, lacing his fingers through Castiel's hair, and pulled him down for another kiss.

Castiel was having a lot of trouble thinking straight. Everything was so bright and vivid. So intense. So much better than any dream. Better than anything he had ever felt. He was drunk off of Dean's lust for him, and he was feeling lightheaded. He was uncertain where his thoughts ended and Dean's began. He just wanted more of the Hunter. Wanted to hear him cry out in ecstasy.

Dean gasped as he was he pushed back. He blinked in confusion as his brain processed what he was seeing. Castiel's eyes were glowing brightly. He opened his mouth to speak, but Castiel quickly dipped down. Dean grunted as the angel rolled his hips back and along Dean's throbbing erection. He grabbed at Castiel, but soon found his wrists being held tightly. He tried to move them, but Castiel held them firmly in place on either side of Dean's head.

Dean stared at Castiel dazedly. Castiel's eyes were still glowing as he grinned down at the Hunter. Dean had a confused frown, but lost his train of thought as Castiel ground into him again. He arched his back and bucked against the angel, trying to gain some more friction. He cried out as he felt a hot mouth settle on his throat. Teeth nipped at his skin. A trail of sucks, kisses, and soft bites made its way down to his collar bone where he felt a particularly hard bite. He gasped as he wondered if Castiel had broken the skin.

Dean moaned as Castiel worked his way back up and settled over his pulse. He writhed and gasped as Castiel sucked, and Dean knew for certain there would be dark spot when the angel finished. He felt a small thrill at the thought. His angel was marking him for all the world to see. There would be no doubt as to what they had gotten up to. He desperately wanted to return the favor. Let everyone know that for as much he was Castiel's Hunter, Castiel was his angel.

He could see Castiel's wings hovering just above him. Just out of reach. He tried to pull out of Castiel's grip, but the small angel was much stronger than he looked. 'Cas…wanna touch you…lemme…lemme touch you,' he moaned needily.

Dean pulled at his wrists again and let out a strangled cry as one of his nipples was relentlessly attacked. 'Oh, fuck! Yes, God! Cas, please!' He squirmed and bucked, but Castiel held him in place. 'Please, Castiel, please. I wanna touch you. Lemme touch you!' he begged.

Above Dean, Castiel stilled.

Dean tugged at his wrists, but found them still held firmly. He felt soft tremors coming from Castiel. He looked up to find Castiel leaning over him, shaking and breathing raggedly. He flinched as a drop of blood landed on his cheek.

'C-Cas?' Dean's voice wavered as he spoke. He searched Castiel's eyes, feeling a small bit of relief as they began to dim.

Castiel's eyes focused on Dean. He stared at the blood on Dean's face and wondered where it had come from. He felt…odd. A second drop of blood joined the first, and realization hit Castiel. He quickly let go of Dean and felt the relief of the cuff wash over him. He jumped off the bed and attempted to run out of the room. He couldn't get very close to the door, so he backed into a corner, where he promptly hid himself in his wings.

'I'm sorry!' he sobbed. He sank to the floor, shaking.

Dean stared Castiel. He slowly got off the bed and carefully approached Castiel, keeping himself between the angel and the window. He sat on the floor and gently ran his hand over Castiel's wings. 'It's okay,' he said soothingly. 'You didn't do anything wrong. It was all good. I…I'm sorry I ruined the mood.'

'I fought it! I shouldn't have fought it!' Castiel cried as he shook his head. He allowed Dean to pull his wings aside. He sniffed as fingers lightly ran through his hair.

'You were just really into it. Havin' fun,' Dean said. 'I liked it.'

Castiel looked up. He stared into Dean's eyes and found nothing but honesty there. His gazed drifted downward to the deep red mark on Dean's neck, and he blushed. 'Y-you did?'

Dean grinned and nodded. 'Yeah. You looked so hot holding me down,' he said huskily before leaning forward to give Castiel a kiss. 'Here… First thing tomorrow, I'll make you a new cuff. Just like it used to be.'

Castiel breathed in sharply. 'You…you mean it? But…'

'And tonight, we can just take this off,' he said as he laid his hand on Castiel's cuff.

'W-what?'

'We'll take it off and have a little fun,' he said and kissed Castiel again.

'B-but…'

'Just…' Dean sighed and looked away in uncertainty. 'I'm hoping you'll stay…'

Castiel hesitantly reached up and cupped Dean's cheek. He nodded when Dean looked at him. 'I'll stay,' he promised.

'Tonight…no cuff, no bond…just you and me.' Dean laughed as Castiel threw himself forward and they fell to the floor. 'So, I guess this means you're a demon in the sack!'

'Shut up, Dean.'


	16. Chapter 16

AN: Picked out a name for Gabe and Cas's mom. 'Only angel with a feminine name' –Wikipedia. Also, I'm sorry I take forever to update.

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Gabriel had summoned a large table for everyone to sit at for dinner. Karen and Crowley sat on either end. To Crowley's right sat Castiel, followed by Gabriel, Sam, and Dean. Dean had tried to convince Gabriel to switch, but was shot down by a menacing glare from Crowley. From Karen it continued to Bobby, Balthazar, Anna, and Meg. Neither of the latter were particularly thrilled with the other. Meg and Anna forced smiles after being told to play nice by both Karen and Crowley.

Bobby and Crowley made it a point to not look at each other—not that Crowley had to try, his eyes were glued to the light, red mark on Dean's neck. He desperately wanted to reach over the table and carve the mark off with a fork, but, aside from such actions not being proper dinner table etiquette, he and Meg were stuck in a devil's trap at their corner of the table.

Out of the group, Balthazar was the most talkative, refusing to let them eat in silence. He kept the conversation light and mostly focused on complimenting Karen's ability to cook.

Dean kept receiving confused images of meatloaf and hamburgers and had to bite his cheek to keep from laughing. He focused his own thoughts and tried to explain the difference.

'Giraffe?' Castiel said, shooting Dean a confused look.

Dean leaned forward to look at Castiel, but Crowley caught his gaze instead.

Crowley pointed his fork at Dean. 'If Gabriel and Castiel are not permitted to have private conversations during dinner, then neither are you,' he calmly stated before turning his attention to Castiel. 'And _you_, stop encouraging him.'

Castiel ducked his head and nodded, blushing lightly as he poked at his food.

Bobby cleared his throat, drawing everyone's attention. 'So, what can we expect from Lucifer and Michael? I get that they're angels, but do you know what they're gonna try?' he asked.

Crowley sighed and tapped his fork lightly against his plate. 'Well…Michael is a self-righteous prick,' he replied. 'He thinks he's doing the "right thing." Free all the angels, kill all the demons… To him, humans are inconsequential.'

'And he gets pissed off about _everything_,' Gabriel added.

'And he doesn't like to be turned down,' Castiel said.

'He has control issues. Nothing I did was ever good enough. He'd always harp on about how I needed to learn to focus my power more and contribute to the fight,' Gabriel said as he helped himself to another serving of potatoes. 'He kept harassing Mom about me. Said she was a shitty parent for raising me around demons.'

'He still tries to maintain contact with Gabriel,' Crowley said in irritation. 'Even Lucifer is trying to recruit him. And now that Castiel's existence is known…' He trailed off, shaking his head.

'They'll be tryin' to get him to join as well,' Bobby said.

'If we're lucky,' Crowley scoffed.

'We believe Lucifer will want me on his side,' Castiel clarified. 'Michael, however, will call for my death.'

'What?!' Karen cried out.

'Why?!' Dean shouted at the same time.

Castiel bit at his lip and stared at his lap. 'I'm…unnatural,' he quietly replied.

'You're not unnatural,' Dean quickly stated. 'So, don't say it. You're just different.'

Crowley regarded Dean for a moment before speaking. 'There has never been a demon-angel hybrid. There have been rumors that Lucifer and his followers were attempting to breed one, but with no luck.'

'Then how did you and…?' Karen trailed off, glancing at Castiel and waving her hand in the air in a vague motion.

'I don't know,' Crowley admitted with a shrug. 'Castiel's birth shouldn't have been possible.'

'Mom said it was the power of love!' Gabriel said around a mouth full of food.

Crowley rolled his eyes in disgust. 'Ever the romantic.'

'Where is she now?' Bobby quietly asked, having already guessed the answer.

'Dead,' Crowley replied with a sigh. 'Fifteen years now.'

'How?' Karen asked. Her wings sagged at the thought of Castiel and Gabriel losing their mother so young.

Crowley tilted his head back as he watched Karen's wings. The more he observed of the Hunters and their domesticated angel, the more he had to admit that his boys had lucked out. They certainly could have done much worse.

'Lucifer's forces knew she was Michael's main squeeze, so they targeted her,' he replied. 'We have the offices and a few buildings full of apartments, each warded against specific creatures. They caught her when she left the main building… They tortured her and killed her.' He sighed as he shook his head. 'I was too late. Lucifer's not a demon, so…at least the torture was minimal.'

He glanced at Gabriel and Castiel, who each had a wing tucked against the other. 'But, had it been prolonged, she might still be alive.'

'Lucifer wanted to send a message to Michael,' Castiel said, voice barely above a whisper. 'He knew nothing of Father's relationship with Mother.'

'At least, not until Dad flipped out,' Gabriel added.

'I did not "flip out,"' Crowley growled, flashing red eyes at Gabriel.

'Of course not,' Meg said, nodding in agreement. 'Dismemberment isn't flipping out.' She gasped and winced as she felt Crowley's power settle over her, restricting her air supply. 'I mean it! I'd be dead if you weren't in control!' She rubbed at her throat when she was released.

'You _should_ be dead!' Anna shouted. 'You switched sides once. Who's to say you won't do it again when it's convenient? Once a traitor, always a traitor!'

'I'm not!' Meg shouted back. She grabbed her knife and made to attack Anna, but was met with resistance from the devil's trap. She growled in frustration and tossed the knife back onto the table.

'She's not,' Castiel agreed, looking up to meet Anna's eyes.

'How do _you_ know?' Dean asked.

Castiel sucked in a breath. 'She… There's no ill-intent. If Meg…'

'I'd be dead the moment I touched Cas,' Meg said, crossing her arms, trying to ignore Anna's smug aura.

Castiel nodded. 'I'm prone to having accidents with those who are evil or wish me to suffer,' he said. He looked to Dean and gave a shy, uncertain smile. 'Remember? I explained it…albeit not very well…'

'Shouldn't that be _all_ demons, then?' Sam asked with a frown. He winced at the glared he received from Crowley and Meg.

'You'd think so, but angels are just as susceptible to Cas's mood swings,' Balthazar said lightly. He groaned in delight as he took another bite of meatloaf.

'What?!' Gabriel stared at Castiel in shock. 'You…you never told me that!'

Castiel shank away and he pulled his wings around himself. 'Lenore was…unkind.'

Gabriel blinked and pulled a face as he tried to remember an angel named Lenore. His mind supplied him with a kind, old low angel that always smiled at him and gave him licorice. He frowned as he remembered when Crowley announced that she had been relocated. It was about the same time that Castiel's right wing had been broken. For months, there had been a good chunk of missing feathers.

He shot up and slammed his hands on the table. 'That fucking bitch! _She's_ the one that fucked up your wing! You…you _lied_ to me!' He stared down at Castiel in betrayal.

'I didn't want you to worry…,' Castiel whispered as he hugged himself.

'Cas, you—!' Gabriel grabbed Castiel and pressed their foreheads together, drawing a small gasp from his brother.

The three Hunters at the table looked around in confusion as the angels and demons went about eating as if nothing had happened. Even Karen was calmly slicing more meatloaf.

Sam jumped when Gabriel released Castiel and slammed his fist on the table. 'Gabriel?'

Gabriel looked around the table at the Hunters staring at him curiously. He looked back at Castiel and received a sad shrug. He shook his head and sighed. He had seen a lot more than just Castiel's confrontation with Lenore. 'I…I don't know what to make of this.'

'First retaliatory death,' Crowley said as he picked up his glass. 'It's something that should be celebrated. So, we celebrated.'

Gabriel frowned at Crowley and his eyes narrowed. 'The fucking cake.'

Karen clapped her hands together in realization. 'Oh! Like a breakthrough!'

'Right,' Crowley replied with a nod. 'However, we demons usually discover our power under…less fortunate circumstances.'

Karen gave Castiel an apologetic grimace.

'How old were you?' Bobby asked.

'Six.'

'I can't believe Mom made you a cake for that!' Gabriel shouted in frustration before storming out the room.

Sam watched Gabriel leave, not sure whether or not he should follow.

'That _is_ kinda weird,' Dean commented.

Castiel shifted uncomfortably at the images Dean was sending him. Cakes declaring 'Congrats on the killing!' littered his mind. 'He's just upset that Mother made a cake when I hadn't actually had a breakthrough.'

'He _still_ hasn't!' Gabriel shouted from the hallway.

Castiel ducked his head and hugged himself. He looked up when an arm wrapped around his shoulders. Dean had taken Gabriel's seat and was send Crowley a challenging stare.

'You haven't broken through yet?' Karen asked. She had been seven when she first materialized a pair of solid, rudimentary blades in either hand. She had always been quick and agile and able to summon a small, blunt object, but her true power had manifested in her blades.

'It's just finding out what you're good at, right?' Dean asked as he gave Castiel a reassuring squeeze. 'I have a pretty good idea what _that_ is.'

Castiel glanced at Bobby and Karen. He quickly looked to his father and received a nonchalant shrug. 'But I…I can't control it,' he quietly replied. 'It's not just coming into your powers… It's being able to control them.'

'Lailah and I figured his powers were only half discovered,' Crowley said. 'Once he gets the other half, everything will click.'

Castiel rubbed his arm self-consciously and leaned into Dean's hold. He hoped his father was right.

Dean raised a brow at Crowley. 'What could possibly be the other half of smite-n-go?' he asked. He felt a sharp flare of irritation come from Castiel.

'Smite…and…go…?' Karen's nose crinkled as she spoke, wrapping her mind around Dean had just said. '_Smite_?!'

Dean bit his lip and sent Castiel a silent apology. He was relieved when he received a warm reply.

Sam pinched the bridge of his nose when it became clear that no one else was going to explain. 'Cas can smite things and he…doesn't need any recovery time,' he said.

'What?!' Bobby leaned forward and looked from Sam to Castiel. He watched as Castiel hid behind his wings and leaned even further into Dean.

'That's…impossible,' Karen insisted. 'I've only met two angels capable of smiting and they… They're…'

'Useless after they blow their load?' Balthazar suggested with a cheeky grin.

Karen huffed at the crassness, but nodded. 'Well, yes.'

Crowley beamed proudly and Castiel. 'Castiel may not have the best control,' he said, 'but he certainly makes up for it with power.'

Anna snorted, pulling everyone's attention to herself. 'He can barely perform simple tasks. I'm surprised he can even summon clean clothes!'

Dean brought his other arm around Castiel, protectively holding the angel in his arms. Through their connection, he could feel how Castiel thought Anna's words were true. He placed a soft kiss on Castiel's head. 'She's just jealous,' he whispered. Even if Castiel didn't believe it, Dean could tell the sentiment was appreciated.

Meg tried again to reach for Anna, but was stopped by the devil's trap. She growled in frustration as she strained against the invisible wall.

'Is there something on your mind, Anna?' Crowley calmly asked.

Anna glanced quickly around the table. Eyes were darting back and forth between her and Crowley. They were expecting him to lash out at her. She breathed in steadily and directed her attention to Crowley. She had tried to voice her concerns before, but had been blown off and ignored. Maybe, since her employer was currently trapped, she would finally be heard.

'He needs to be trained,' she said. 'How is he supposed to learn _anything_ if you just let him sit around and watch cartoons all day? In your need to protect him, he's lost the ability to protect _himself_!'

'I do just fine, thank you!' Castiel replied defensively. It was true. He could protect himself quite well. Though it tended to be at the last minute.

Anna sat straighter in her chair. 'You lack control.'

Crowley turned his attention to his glass. He did have a habit of spoiling his boys. Even Gabriel had trouble focusing his power at times. He let out a sigh before speaking. 'She has a point, Castiel. Anna, you're in charge of training him.'

Anna stood quickly, her chair screeching loudly on the floor. 'W-what?! I wasn't suggesting—'

Crowley cut her off with a hard stare. 'Do I make myself clear?'

Anna's shoulders slumped in resignation. 'Yes, sir.'

Castiel pulled himself from Dean's arms and leaned toward his father. 'I don't need training,' he insisted. He looked over to Anna and narrowed his eyes. 'And certainly not from an amputee.'

Anna crossed her arms and looked away, glaring at the wall.

'I'm not giving you a choice,' Crowley said in an exasperated tone. 'You begin tomorrow. Anna, do what you have to. If you need any targets, I'll arrange for them to be sent.'

Castiel settled back against his chair as Anna gave a determined nod. He tried to reach out to Gabriel, but received no response, so he sent his misery Dean's way. His wings got ruffled as Dean replied with happy thoughts.

'Hey, I'll be right there with you,' Dean said. 'It won't be that bad.'

'No, it'll be worse,' Balthazar put in with a grin.


End file.
